Surveillance Of Thyroid Cancer Research Articles

Predicting disease-specific survival in patients undergoing active surveillance for papillary thyroid carcinoma.

American Thyroid Association guidelines support active surveillance (AS) for low-risk papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). We developed a calculator to aid patient selection. From 2004 to 2020, 148,904 PTC patients were selected from the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) database. Univariable and multivariable analysis evaluated patient and treatment characteristics. Patients were randomly allocated into training (80%) or validation sets (20%). Coefficients generated a mathematical model to predict 5- and 10-year disease-specific survival (DSS). The mean DSS was 15.5years with a 5- and 10-year DSS of 99.3% and 98.6%, respectively. Age, sex, race, median household income (MHI), tumor size, and nodal status were significant on multivariable analysis (p≤0.05) and included variables in our calculator. 2404 patients underwent non-operative management (NOM) and were more likely older, male, higher MHI, larger tumor size, and less nodal positivity. Area under the curve (AUC) for 5- and 10-year DSS were 0.83 and 0.81, respectively, for the training set and 0.81 and 0.79, respectively,for the validation set. 65-year-old White female with a 0.8cm PTC, cN0 with a MHI ≥ $75,000, had a 10-year predicted DSS was 95.6% with NOM and 99.3% with surgery. Alternatively, changing the patient's race to Hispanic, the 10-year predicted DSS was 94.1% with NOM and 99.0% with surgery. As awareness of AS for PTC expands, it is important to consider objective data to guide informed decision making. This validated calculator is a useful tool to predict DSS for patients considering AS for PTC.

A national survey of physicians regarding active surveillance for low-risk thyroid cancer in Korea.

Active surveillance (AS) has emerged as a viable alternative to immediate surgery for low-risk thyroid cancer. However, several barriers still hinder its widespread adoption and implementation by physicians. In 2024, an email survey was conducted among members of the Korea Thyroid Association to assess their perspectives on AS. The survey comprised questions about clinical case scenarios, perceptions of the benefits and risks associated with AS, factors influencing the consideration of AS, and unmet needs for the implementation of AS. Among the 287 physicians surveyed, 40.8% were endocrinologists, followed by general surgeons at 20.9%, and otolaryngologists at 19.9%. The majority worked in tertiary hospitals and had over 10 years of experience. Regarding a 65-year-old man with a 0.7-cm low-risk thyroid cancer, 74.6% of the respondents considered AS. Endocrinologists, physicians with higher self-assessment and experience explaining AS to patients were more inclined to consider AS. Although the respondents recognized the benefits of AS, such as avoiding surgery and reducing surgical complications, they expressed concerns about potential risks, including the possibility of patient lawsuits due to disease progression and patient worry and anxiety about the disease. Challenges in screening candidates for AS were highlighted, especially in detecting recurrent laryngeal nerve involvement and lymph node metastases. Additionally, physicians noted unmet needs in AS implementation, specifically regarding psychological support for patients and reimbursement for long-term follow-up costs. The survey underscored the need for further research and initiatives to overcome the barriers and implement AS for the management of low-risk thyroid cancer.

Developing a large-scale quality improvement program for thyroid cancer surgery.

Surgical quality improvement (QI) plays a critical role in optimizing patient outcomes and reducing healthcare costs. QI programs focusing specifically on thyroid cancer surgical care are lacking. This study aimed to (a) select and introduce surgical quality indicators for thyroid cancer and (b) identify areas for QI at the state-level. A multidisciplinary team of thyroid cancer and QI experts selected 10 thyroid cancer-specific quality indicators and assessed the quality of thyroid cancer surgical care compared to current national guidelines. Analysis of the first year (January-December 2023) of data collection was performed using descriptive statistics. The thyroid cancer quality indicators included preoperative cytology, postoperative pathology, staging, cancer size, margin status, extrathyroidal extension, lymph nodes, postoperative complications within 30days, documented follow-up treatment, and documented surveillance plans. 112 surgeons performed 360 thyroidectomies for thyroid cancer at 51 hospitals. Preoperative cytology was not performed in 34.3% (n=103) of cases with thyroid cancer on final pathology. When the extent of surgery was evaluated by papillary cancer size, 50.0% (n=38) of patients with <1cm cancers underwent total thyroidectomy, and 13.8% (n=4) with >4cm underwent thyroid lobectomy. Positive margins were found in 16.2% (n=53). Postoperatively, 19.2% (n=69) of patients lacked documented follow-up, and 18.6% (n=67) lacked thyroid cancer surveillance plans. Establishing a dedicated QI program for thyroid cancer provides a previously unharnessed opportunity to enhance the quality of thyroid cancer surgical care. Statewide surgical quality collaboratives offer a model for establishing thyroid cancer QI initiatives across diverse healthcare settings in other states and countries.

Active Surveillance of Papillary Thyroid Cancer—A Feasibility Experience from a Tertiary Care Centre

Active Surveillance of Papillary Thyroid Cancer—A Feasibility Experience from a Tertiary Care Centre

Active Surveillance and Conversion Surgery for Low-Risk Thyroid Cancer—The Disconnect Between Literature and Practice

Active Surveillance and Conversion Surgery for Low-Risk Thyroid Cancer—The Disconnect Between Literature and Practice

Nonoperative, Active Surveillance of Larger Malignant and Suspicious Thyroid Nodules.

Active surveillance for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) meeting criteria for surgical resection is uncommon. Which patients may prove reasonable candidates for this approach is not well defined. This work aimed to examine the feasibility and safety of active surveillance for patients with known or suspected intrathyroidal PTC up to 4 cm in diameter. A retrospective review was conducted of all consecutive patients who underwent nonoperative active surveillance of suspicious or malignant thyroid nodules over a 20-year period from 2001 to 2021. We included patients with an initial ultrasound-fine-needle aspiration confirming either (a) Bethesda 5 or 6 cytology or (b) a "suspicious" Afirma molecular test. The primary outcomes and measures included the rate of adverse oncologic outcomes (mortality and recurrence), as well as the cumulative incidence of size/volume growth. Sixty-nine patients were followed with active surveillance for 1 year or longer (average 55 months), with 26 patients (38%) having nodules 2 cm or larger. No patients were found to develop new-incident occurrence of lymph node or distant metastasis. One patient, however, demonstrated concern for progression to a dedifferentiated cancer on repeat core biopsy 17 years after initial start of nonoperative selection. A total of 21% of patients had an increase in maximum diameter more than 3 mm, while volume increase of 50% or greater was noted in 25% of patients. Thirteen patients ultimately underwent delayed (rescue) surgery, and no disease recurrence was noted after such treatment. Age and initial nodule size were not predictors of nodule growth. These data expand consideration of active surveillance of PTC in select patients with intrathyroidal suspected malignancy greater than 1 cm in diameter. Rescue surgery, if required at a later time point, appears effective.

Increased Incidence of Melanoma, Prostate, Lung, Bladder, Renal and Thyroid Cancer after Diagnosis of Primary Cutaneous B-Cell Lymphoma: A SEER Database Analysis

Background: Primary cutaneous B-cell lymphomas (PCBCLs) are a subset of non-Hodgkin lymphomas originating in the skin. The risk of developing other malignancies in PCBCL patients is not known. We evaluated the risk of developing a second primary malignancy after a PCBCL diagnosis. Methods: We utilized the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER-17) data registry of 9,208,295 patients from 2000-2020 to generate a cohort of 5,435 patients with PCBCL to identify patients at risk for a second primary malignancy. Relative risk was calculated by using the Standardized Incidence Ratio (SIR), defined as the ratio between observed cases (O) and expected cases (E) of malignancies (SIR = O/E). Statistical significance was established based on 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Of the 5,435 patients with PCBCL, 847 (16%) received diagnoses of a second malignancy, identifying a higher risk than the general population (SIR, 1.54; 95% CI, 1.43-1.64). Males had a higher chance of developing prostate cancer (SIR, 1.29; 95% CI, 1.07-1.54), melanoma (SIR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.03-2.09), and bladder cancer (SIR, 1.42; 95% CI, 1.01-1.94). Females were more predisposed to cancers of the lung (SIR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.25-2.24), thyroid (SIR, 3.06; 95% CI, 1.63-5.23), and kidney (SIR, 2.13; 95% CI 1.06-3.81). For males with PCBCL, there was an increased risk of prostate cancer in patients 60-69 (SIR, 1.53; 95% CI, 1.14-2.02). For females, there was an increased risk of lung cancer in patients over 70, especially in the age group of 70-79 (SIR, 1.84; 95% CI, 1.12-2.84). For cutaneous melanoma, bladder, renal, and thyroid cancer, there was no age group identified to be at a significantly greater risk. Prostate cancer risk was increased within the first year (SIR, 2.09; 95% CI, (1.28 - 3.23) and between 5-10 years after PCBCL diagnosis (SIR, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.04-1.97) .For males, melanoma and bladder cancer were associated with an increased risk between 1-5 years after PCBCL (SIR, 1.91; 95% CI, 1.09-3.11 and SIR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.01-2.68). Females were at the highest risk of developing thyroid cancer within the first year of PCBCL diagnosis (SIR, 21.11; 95% CI, 10.12-38.83) and lung cancer 1-5 years after PCBCL diagnosis (SIR, 1.7; 95% CI, 1.04-2.62). For renal cancer, there was no latency identified carrying an increased risk. Conclusion: These data, should inform screening strategies for melanoma, prostate, bladder, lung, renal, and thyroid cancer in patients with PCBCL. Males 60-69 within 10 years of PCBCL can benefit from prostate screening. Males within 1-5 years of PCBCL diagnosis can benefit from screening for melanoma and bladder cancer. Females can benefit from thyroid, lung, and renal cancer surveillance. Specifically for females over 70, screening for lung cancer should be considered, and for females within the first year of PCBCL diagnosis, thyroid cancer screening should be considered.

Thirty years of active surveillance for low-risk thyroid cancer, lessons learned and future directions.

Active Surveillance is a non-invasive strategy designed to identify a minority of patients with low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma who might experience clinical progression and benefit from additional definitive treatments. Global experience suggests that these tumors typically show minimal changes in size during active surveillance, often demonstrating very slow growth or even size reduction. Moreover, the rate of lymph node metastases is low and can be effectively managed through rescue surgery, without impacting cancer-related mortality. However, despite 30 years of experience demonstrating the safety and feasibility of active surveillance for appropriately selected patients, this approach seems to have limited adoption in specific contexts. This limitation can be attributed to various barriers, including disparities in access to accurate information about the indolent nature of this disease and the prevalence of a maximalist mindset among certain patients and medical settings. This review aims to revisit the experience from the last three decades, provide current insights into the clinical outcomes of active surveillance trials, and propose a systematic approach for its implementation. Furthermore, it intends to emphasize the importance of precise patient selection and provides new perspectives in the field.

SAT546 Papillary Thyroid Cancer Surveillance: Thyroglobulin Levels Affected by HAMA

Abstract Disclosure: J. Sanchez Perez: None. M. Obeid: None. M. Fariduddin: None. D.J. Toft: None. Introduction: Thyroglobulin (TG) measurement is a major means of detecting recurrence of previously treated differentiated thyroid cancers. Human-Anti Mouse Antibodies (HAMA) can interfere with lab measurements of TG levels and affect clinical decisions and treatment for these cancers.Clinical Case: A 65-year-old female was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Surgical pathology following total thyroidectomy demonstrated a tumor of 3.5 cm in its greatest dimension, unifocal, without invasion of locoregional tissue classified as Stage I (pT2N0M0) per AJCC 8th edition. Radioiodine whole body scan (WBS) demonstrated iodine uptake in the neck and 126.5 mCi of I-131 was given. In surveillance 5 years later, TSH was found to be 0.17 mcIU/ml (ref range: 0.35 - 4.00) TG 64.7 ng/ml (ref range: 1.3 - 31.8 ng/mL), and anti-Tg antibodies were undetectable. Neck US consistently showed nonspecific findings of stable small nodes with normal morphology in both supraclavicular regions. Given elevated TG levels, 250 mCi of I-131 was given. Follow-up TG levels ranged from 27.8 to 36.4 ng/ml. A repeat WBS did not reveal any uptake, but as TG remained elevated, I-131 (238 mCi) was again given. Subsequent TG throughout the following 15 years ranged from 2.8 - 58.6 ng/ml. Repeat Neck US only showed benign-appearing lymph nodes. WBS did not have any focal activity to suggest recurrent disease and PET/CT did not show any abnormal FDG uptake. The persistently high TG levels without clinical evidence of tumor recurrence raised the suspicion of lab interference. The serum sample was treated with a blocking reagent that contained mouse immunoglobulin after which the TG level decreased to 2.7 ng/ml compared to untreated value of 20.5 ng/ml.Conclusion: HAMA are human antibodies against mouse antibodies which are believed to develop in humans from direct contact with rodents, including mice, and from the recent increase in the use of mouse monoclonal antibodies for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. These antibodies implicate an unexpected source of interference in immunoassays, as seen in our patient, which can confound laboratory results and create a clinical dilemma. This patient with PTC had a complete radiological response after surgery, but an incomplete biochemical response which caused the patient to be given a total of 614 mCi of I-131. This case highlights the importance of recognizing the possible presence of HAMA when analyzing TG levels, particularly when the TG levels are used for treatment decisions. Presentation Date: Saturday, June 17, 2023

Development of a novel clinical support tool for active surveillance of low risk papillary thyroid cancer.

Active surveillance (AS) is an alternative to surgery in select patients with very low risk papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). Many clinicians feel ill-equipped in selecting appropriate patients. We aimed to 1) Develop an evidence-based web delivered decision support tool to assist clinicians in identifying patients appropriate for AS; and 2) Evaluate the prevalence of patients suitable for AS in a tertiary high volume thyroid cancer centre. A REDCap web based clinical support tool was developed utilising evidence-based characteristics for AS suitability available to clinicals during initial assessment. A retrospective database was interrogated for patients who underwent hemithyroidectomy between 2012 - 2021 with final histopathology demonstrating PTC. Patients with PTCs>2cm, missing data, benign disease on surgical histopathology or incidental PTC were excluded. Between 2012 - 2021, 763 patients underwent hemithyroidectomy with final histopathology confirming PTC. Of these, 316 patients were excluded (missing data, incidental PTC, concomitant hyperparathyroidism were most common reasons for exclusion) and 114/447 remaining patients had a pre-operative fine needle aspirate (FNA) of Bethesda V or VI (high likelihood of malignancy). Using the tool, 59/114 (52%) met criteria for AS. The majority of patients were female (85% vs 15% male); median age 36 years (range 19 - 78). Following initial surgery, 10/59 patients had a completion thyroidectomy, with 4/10 demonstrating malignancy in contralateral lobe and eight of those patients undergoing I131 ablation. During a median follow up of over 3 years, 49/59 (83%) did not require further surgery or intervention with no patients developing recurrence. A subgroup analysis with second radiology assessment excluded 4/59 patients as meeting criteria for AS based on presence of ETE on preoperative ultrasound. None of these 4 patients had completion thyroidectomy. Our clinical support tool identifies patients with PTC potentially suitable for AS which could be utilised during initial patient assessment. In a retrospective cohort of patients who had hemithyroidectomy for PTC with a pre-operative FNA diagnosis of Bethesda V or VI, 55/114 (48%) patients may have been suitable for AS. Prospective validation studies are required for implementation of the tool in clinical practice.

Re: "Barriers and Facilitators to the Choice of Active Surveillance for Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer in China: A Qualitative Study Examining Patient Perspectives" by Zhu et al.: Clinical Factors Affecting Patients' Decision Between Active Surveillance and Surgery: A Surgeon's View from China.

Re: "Barriers and Facilitators to the Choice of Active Surveillance for Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer in China: A Qualitative Study Examining Patient Perspectives" by Zhu et al.: Clinical Factors Affecting Patients' Decision Between Active Surveillance and Surgery: A Surgeon's View from China.

History of Thyroid Ultrasound.

From low-resolution images in the 1960s to current high-resolution technology, ultrasound has proven to be the initial imaging modality of choice for thyroid application. Point-of-care ultrasound has brought the technology to the thyroid specialist. Combined with physical examination, it provides real-time information regarding goiter, thyroid nodules, and thyroid cancer. Ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy has become the accepted norm, with biopsies rarely performed using palpation alone. Advantages of ultrasound-guided biopsy include precise placement of the needle within the nodule, selective sampling of areas with suspicious features, and accurate direction of the biopsy needle to actively growing viable cells in the periphery of the nodule. Education of endocrinologists in thyroid ultrasound began in the late 1990s and by 2016 more than 6000 clinicians had completed an ultrasound course. Concurrent with this rapid expansion of use of thyroid ultrasound was a rise in the diagnosis of small papillary carcinomas, which might have otherwise remained indolent and undetected. The 2009 American Thyroid Association Guidelines for the Management of Thyroid Nodules and Thyroid Cancer recommended biopsy for all solid hypoechoic nodules measuring larger than 1 cm. Attempting to decrease the frequency of biopsies of low-risk nodules, subsequent guidelines have focused on identifying and selectively biopsying those thyroid nodules at higher risk of clinically significant carcinoma based on ultrasound appearance. A major role for thyroid ultrasound has been in both preoperative staging and mapping to help determine the extent of surgery, as well as postoperative monitoring for locoregional soft tissue or lymph node metastases. With the recognition that the increase in papillary carcinoma was predominantly a result of early diagnosis of small often indolent cancers, active surveillance has become a promising management strategy for papillary thyroid microcarcinomas. Thyroid ultrasound is essential to active surveillance of thyroid cancer. Easy access to high-quality ultrasound studies is a requirement for a successful active surveillance program. Thyroid ultrasound has been used to facilitate interventional procedures, including treatment of thyroid nodules, treatment of recurrent thyroid cancer, and therapy of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma.

Detection and yield of thyroid cancer surveillance in adults with PTEN Hamartoma Tumour Syndrome.

Thyroid cancer surveillance (TCS) with ultrasound (US) is advised for PTEN Hamartoma Tumour Syndrome (PHTS) patients due to increased thyroid cancer (TC) risk. However, data supporting TCS guidelines are scarce. We aimed to assess the detection and yield of annual TCS with US in adult PHTS patients without a TC history, and to evaluate the impact of a reduced US interval on the TCS yield. A retrospective cohort study including adult PHTS patients and medical record data between 2005-2021. The yield from annual TCS was compared with hypothetical biennial and triennial TCS after two initial US with annual interval by counting delayed detection of nodular growth, thyroid adenoma and TC. During 279 follow-up years, 84 patients (median age 40 years) underwent 349 US. Thyroidectomy was performed in 6/84 (7%) patients, revealing a minimally invasive follicular TC in one patient aged 22 and a thyroid adenoma in two patients aged 21 and 53. Multiple thyroid nodules were diagnosed in 73/84 (87%) patients (median age 36 years). Nodular growth was detected in 9/56 (16%) patients, and its detection would have been delayed in 4-7% US rounds with biennial TCS, and in 2-6% US rounds with triennial US. US-based thyroiditis and indeterminate non-malignant lymph nodes were found in 8/74 (11%) and 7/72 (10%) patients, respectively. Following our findings combined with literature, we propose starting TCS before age 18, and reducing the follow-up frequency after the initial two US from annual to biennial if no suspicious findings are detected.

Patients Electing Active Surveillance for Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer Have Lower Baseline Anxiety

Patients Electing Active Surveillance for Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer Have Lower Baseline Anxiety

Barriers and Facilitators to the Choice of Active Surveillance for Low-risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer in China: A Qualitative Study Examining Patient Perspectives.

Internationally, several clinical practice guidelines recommend active surveillance as a non-surgical management strategy for select patients with low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma. However, patient's decision making when choosing active surveillance as a management approach is not well understood. Thus, our aim was to examine the barriers and facilitators to selecting active surveillance amongst patients with low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma in China. Thirty-nine participants diagnosed with low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma were purposively recruited between July - Nov 2021 for semi-structured interviews; 24 of whom rejected and 15 patients chose 'active surveillance' as a management approach in our sample. Inductive content analysis illustrated emerging themes. Audit trails, member checks and thematic discussions were used to assert rigor. Barriers and facilitators were classified as patient-related, disease-related, and external factors. Patient-related factors included patient's knowledge, attitudes and emotions. Disease-related factors included the response to having cancer, the constant state of being diseased and perceived value of the thyroid gland. External factors included the residual effects of surgery, the active surveillance protocol and physicians' recommendations. Patient's the acceptability of the active surveillance as a management approach are complex with many influencing factors. The public acceptance of active surveillance as a disease management approach needs to be improved, through the presentation of active surveillance as an evidence-based and optimized dynamic management strategy. Clinicians must address their patients' psychological struggles when patients choosing active surveillance and patients require more attention and supportive intervention.

Thyroid cancer in pregnancy: diagnosis, management, and treatment.

The evaluation and management of cancer during pregnancy requires special care to assure the health and safety of both the mother and fetus. The diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer in the non-pregnant patient often involves radioactive iodine exposure. However, radioactive iodine is contraindicated in pregnancy and surgical interventions pose risks to both the mother and fetus. Thus, the management of thyroid cancer during pregnancy is a unique clinical challenge. In this review, we discuss the imaging of thyroid nodules during pregnancy, including the role of CT, MRI, and nuclear Imaging, as well as that of Ultrasound and FNA. The staging and prognosis are discussed along with the management, treatment, and surveillance of thyroid cancer in pregnancy. Finally, the risks to the fetus through treatment are examined. Case examples are provided with an emphasis on the appropriate direction of care from a radiologist's perspective.

Serum glycomic profile as a predictive biomarker of recurrence in patients with differentiated thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer recurrence following curative thyroidectomy is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, but current surveillance strategies are inadequate for early detection. Prior studies indicate that tissue glycosylation is altered in thyroid cancer, but the utility of serum glycosylation in thyroid cancer surveillance remains unexplored. We therefore assessed the potential utility of altered serum glycomic profile as a tumor-specific target for disease surveillance in recurrent thyroid cancer. We employed banked serum samples from patients with recurrent thyroid cancer post thyroidectomy and healthy controls. N-glycans were enzymatically released from serum glycoproteins, labeled via permethylation, and analyzed by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry. Global level and specific subtypes of glycan structures were compared between patients and controls. We evaluated 28 independent samples from 13 patients with cancer recurrence and 15 healthy controls. Global features of glycosylation, including N-glycan class and terminal glycan modifications were similar between groups, but three of 35 individual glycans showed significant differences. The three glycans were biosynthetically related biantennary core fucosylated N-glycans that only varied by the degree of galactosylation (G0F, G1F, and G2F; G: galactose, F: fucose). The ratio of G0F:G1F that captures reduced galactosylation was observed in patients samples but not in healthy controls (p=0.004) and predicted thyroid cancer recurrence (AUC=0.82, CI 95%=0.64-0.99). Altered N-glycomic profile was associated with thyroid cancer recurrence. This serum-based biomarker would be useful as an effective surveillance tool to improve the care and prognosis of thyroid cancer after prospective validation.

ODP493 Malignant Struma Ovarii with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and concomitant High Risk Thyroid Nodule

Abstract Introduction Struma ovarii is a rare teratoma consisting of &amp;gt;50% thyroid tissue. Malignant transformation very seldomly occurs; most pathology shows papillary thyroid carcinoma. The risk and prevalence of concurrent thyroid gland neoplasm is unclear. Thyroid cancer surveillance post-oophorectomy in these patients may be pertinent but has not yet been established. Case Report A nulliparous 54 year-old woman with one year of menopause without HRT had pelvic and back pain. Imaging detected bilateral ovarian teratomas. Pathology from laparoscopic bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy revealed a 10.7×9.9×10.9cm noninvasive struma ovarii with focal papillary thyroid carcinoma of the left ovary and a benign teratoma of the right ovary. Importantly, the patient had a known thyroid nodule. Two years prior, a FNA of the 1.4cm hypoechoic, hypervascular nodule in the left lower pole yielded benign (Bethesda 2) cytology. After struma ovarii resection, thyroid ultrasound showed highly suspicious TIRAD5. She denied symptoms of hyper- or hypothyroidism and had a normal TSH. She consequently underwent two FNA biopsies, both of which were non-diagnostic. The patient deferred further attempts. History of an initial benign biopsy and stability of the nodule size provide some reassurance. With the patient's reluctance for surgery, serial thyroglobulin (Tg) and ultrasounds will be followed. Post-operative Tg was normal with negative Tg antibody. If Tg becomes markedly elevated, a thyroidectomy will be indicated. Discussion Given the TIRAD5 nodule, this patient's risk of thyroid malignancy is 60-70%. This is compounded with her setting of malignant struma ovarii, which may imply genetic predisposition for thyroid carcinogenesis. Since cytology could not be obtained on the two recent biopsies, definitive pathology by diagnostic lobectomy or thyroidectomy may be considered. A total thyroidectomy would provide the advantage of following Tg for cancer surveillance of both thyroid and ovarian malignancies. There is scant evidence on the treatment of malignant struma ovarii. A few small case series and a pooled review of 57 cases of low-risk (confined to the ovary) malignant struma ovarii in which 50 patients did not undergo thyroidectomy/I-131 ablation showed only a 7.5% recurrence rate at 25 years (Marti et al Thyroid 2012 Apr; 22 (4): 400-406). Hence, this study recommends reserving prophylactic thyroidectomy for patients with extra-ovarian extension or metastases. Treatment of malignant struma ovarii may be extrapolated from those used in differentiated thyroid cancer; high-risk lesions would be those measuring &amp;gt;4cm, have local or distant invasion, or have a BRAF mutation (indicating an aggressive tumor). In conclusion, conservative measures of the thyroid gland with a suspicious nodule may be acceptable in patients with noninvasive malignant struma ovarii, provided strict adherence to cancer surveillance of Tg with both thyroid and pelvic sonography. Presentation: No date and time listed

Active Surveillance of Low-Risk Thyroid Cancer Is Not Easy

Active Surveillance of Low-Risk Thyroid Cancer Is Not Easy

Active Surveillance of Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Frequency and Time Course of the Six Most Common Tumor Volume Kinetic Patterns.

Background: The change in size of the papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) nodule during active surveillance has traditionally been characterized as either stable, increasing, or decreasing based on changes in maximal tumor diameter or tumor volume. More recently, it has been observed that the changes in tumor size observed during observation are more complex with tumor volume kinetic patterns that can be characterized either as stable (Pattern I), early increase in volume (Pattern II), later increase in volume (Pattern III), early increase in volume followed by stability (Pattern IV), stability followed by an increase in volume (Pattern V), or a decrease in tumor volume (Pattern VI). Methods: The frequency, time course, and clinical correlates of these six tumor volume kinetic patterns were analyzed in a cohort of 483 patients with low-risk PTC up to 1.5 cm in maximal diameter followed with active surveillance at our center for a median of 3.7 years. Results: The cumulative incidence of an increase in tumor volume for the entire cohort was 15.9% [confidence interval (CI) 11.8-20.0] at 5 years. At 5 years, most tumors demonstrated stability (78.8%, Pattern I) with 10.0% showing early growth (Pattern II), 4.1% late growth (Pattern III), 1.9% growth then stability (Pattern IV), 0.6% stability then growth (Pattern V), and 5.6% with a decrease in tumor volume (Pattern VI). Tumor volume doubling time during exponential growth significantly differed across the kinetic patterns, with median values of 2.4, 7.1, and 3.3 years for Patterns II, III, and IV, respectively (p < 0.01). Similarly, the time to a change in tumor volume was significantly different across the kinetic patterns, with median values of 1.5, 3, 1.6, 4.7, and 4.1 years for Patterns II, III, IV, V, and VI, respectively (analysis of variance, p < 0.01). Clinical correlates at baseline were not associated with tumor volume kinetic pattern. Conclusions: These six kinetic tumor volume patterns provide a comprehensive description of the changes in PTC tumor volume observed during the first 5 years of active surveillance.