Thyroid nodules in childhood and adolescence

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Endocrinology
• Surgical Oncology
• Thyroidology

Background:

• Thyroid nodules are infrequent in children and adolescents.
• Previous studies indicate varying patterns of thyroid disease in pediatric populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the characteristics and outcomes of thyroidectomy for nodular thyroid disease in pediatric patients.
• To identify differences in thyroid disease patterns between prepubertal children and adolescents.
• To assess the incidence of malignancy and survival rates in young patients undergoing thyroidectomy.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective review of 122 thyroidectomies performed for nodular thyroid disease over 37 years.
• Analysis of patient age groups: prepubertal (0-12 years) and adolescent (13-18 years).
• Histopathological examination to determine the incidence of thyroid malignancy and metastasis.

Main Results:

• Adolescents (13-18 years) showed disease patterns similar to adults.
• Prepubertal children (0-12 years) had a high incidence of thyroid malignancy (38% in boys, 13% in girls).
• Papillary thyroid cancer and lymph node metastases were common in prepubertal malignancies, yet survival was excellent.

Conclusions:

• Thyroid nodules in prepubertal children, especially boys, are frequently malignant.
• Multicentric papillary cancer and lymph node metastasis are common in pediatric thyroid cancer.
• Despite aggressive features, pediatric thyroid cancer demonstrates excellent long-term survival following thyroidectomy.