Thyroid malignancy in children: where does it locate?

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Radiology

Background:

• Limited research exists on thyroid nodule location and malignancy risk in pediatric populations.
• Previous studies in adults yielded inconsistent results regarding nodule location and cancer risk.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between the location of thyroid nodules and the risk of malignancy in children.
• To determine if nodule location can serve as a predictive factor for thyroid cancer in pediatric patients.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 97 thyroid nodules from 103 pediatric patients (<18 years) with pathological diagnoses.
• Nodule categorization using the Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) algorithm.
• Recording nodule locations (right lobe, left lobe, isthmus, upper pole, lower pole, middle) and dividing the thyroid into upper, middle, and lower portions.

Main Results:

• Of 97 nodules, 47 were malignant (48.5%) and 50 were benign (51.5%).
• No significant correlation was found between malignancy risk and nodule location in the right lobe, left lobe, or isthmus (P=0.38).
• Malignant nodules were significantly more frequent in the middle lobe (23%, P=0.002), increasing malignancy risk 11.3-fold (OR=11.3, P=0.006).

Conclusions:

• Thyroid nodule location is a potential predictor of malignancy in pediatric patients.
• A middle lobe location for a thyroid nodule significantly elevates the risk of malignancy.
• Combining nodule location assessment with TI-RADS categorization may enhance the accuracy of malignancy prediction in children.