Thyroid nodule ultrasound accuracy in predicting thyroid malignancy based on TIRADS system

Area of Science:

• Radiology
• Oncology
• Medical Diagnostics

Background:

• Thyroid nodules are common, necessitating accurate methods for malignancy characterization.
• Fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) is invasive; thyroid ultrasonography (USG) is a preferred, less invasive alternative.
• Existing studies show conflicting results on USG's efficacy in differentiating benign from malignant nodules.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound (US) in predicting thyroid cancer.
• To determine sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic odds ratios (ORs) for US in thyroid cancer detection.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted across major databases (2010-2021).
• Thyroid nodule features were analyzed using Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TIRADS) guidelines.
• Meta-analysis included calculation of sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, and diagnostic ORs, with HSROC curve plotting.

Main Results:

• Fifteen studies (out of 2765) met the inclusion criteria, with low risk of publication bias.
• Overall sensitivity was 92.53% (95% CI: [84.55%; 96.33%]).
• Overall specificity was 33.88% (95% CI: [23.16%; 45.53%]), and diagnostic OR was 12.36 (95% CI: [3.90%; 54.11%]).

Conclusions:

• Thyroid ultrasound demonstrates high accuracy in identifying malignant thyroid nodules.
• The findings support the utility of USG in the clinical assessment of patients with suspected thyroid cancer.
• USG is a valuable tool for characterizing thyroid nodules, aiding in the detection of malignancy.