Ultrasound imaging of thyroid may identify cancers among low-risk patients; decrease rate of unnecessary thyroid biopsies.
Ultrasound imaging of the thyroid may help identify low-risk thyroid cancer patients, according to a study published in JAMA.
Researchers from the University of California, San Francisco, undertook a study to quantify the risk of thyroid cancer associated with thyroid nodules, based on ultrasound imaging characteristics.
The retrospective, case-controlled study assessed 8,806 patients who underwent 11,618 thyroid ultrasound examinations from January 2000 through March 2005. A total of 105 patients were subsequently diagnosed with thyroid cancer.
It was found that thyroid nodules were common among patients who had thyroid cancer (96.9 percent) and also among those who did not (56.4 percent).
The researchers noted that there were three ultrasound nodule characteristics that were only associated with the risk of thyroid cancer:
· Microcalcifications
· Size greater than 2 cm
· Entirely solid composition
It was determined that most cases of thyroid cancer could be detected if biopsies were performed based on using one characteristic as indication for the procedure. Two characteristics as basis for biopsy would bring the sensitivity and false-positive rates lower with a higher positive likelihood ratio.
These results showed the rate of unnecessary biopsies could be reduced by 90 percent while maintaining a low risk of cancer if there were a more stringent approach for performing biopsies, researchers said.
"Adoption of uniform standards for the interpretation of thyroid sonograms would be a first step toward standardizing the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer and limiting unnecessary diagnostic testing and treatment," the study concluded.
The Reading Room: Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Cancer Screenings, and COVID-19
November 3rd 2020In this podcast episode, Dr. Shalom Kalnicki, from Montefiore and Albert Einstein College of Medicine, discusses the disparities minority patients face with cancer screenings and what can be done to increase access during the pandemic.
Study Finds Transvaginal Ultrasound Unreliable for Detecting Endometrial Cancer in Black Patients
July 3rd 2024Utilizing a threshold of less than 5 mm of ultrasound-measured endometrial thickness, the authors of a new study noted an 11.4 percent false-negative probability for endometrial cancer in Black patients.
New Study Shows Non-Radiologists Interpreting 28 Percent of Imaging for Medicare Patients
June 28th 2024While radiologists interpreted approximately 99 percent of all non-cardiac CT, MRI and nuclear medicine studies in hospital and emergency department settings for Medicare beneficiaries, new research shows significantly less radiologist review of cardiac imaging and office-based imaging.
FDA Clears Pocket-Sized ECG System and AI Technology for Detection of Cardiac Conditions
June 27th 2024Using a reduced leadset and deep neural network algorithms trained on more than 175 million electrocardiograms, the KAI 12L technology reportedly detects up to 35 cardiac determinations, including acute myocardial infarction.