[Thyroid oncology in everyday practice. Apropos of 105 cases]

The charts of 105 patients treated for histologically documented nodular thyroid disease from 1976 to 1991 were analysed to determine the various diagnostic and therapeutic problems posed by the management of thyroid nodules in everyday clinical practice. The incidence of solitary nodular and multinodular disease was almost identical, 45.7% and 41% respectively. Radionucleid imaging was performed in only 61.9% (65) of patients and showed a distinct predominance of cold nodules as compared to multiheteronodular goiters, 67.7% (44/65) and 21.5% (14/65), respectively. Histological confirmation of diagnosis, obtained after fixation of the surgical specimen in paraffin, revealed a vast majority of benign versus malignant disease, 89.5% and 10.5%, respectively. 13.6% of cold nodules proved to be cancers. Extensive surgical resection either subtotal or total thyroidectomy, was performed in 41.6% of patients. Improvements in clinical practice and screening of goiters in endemic areas must contribute to a better definition of the surgical management of thyroid nodules.