PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Qari, Faiza A.
TI  - Pattern of thyroid malignancy at a University Hospital in Western Saudi Arabia
DP  - 2004 Jul 01
TA  - Saudi Medical Journal
PG  - 866--870
VI  - 25
IP  - 7
4099  - http://smj.org.sa/content/25/7/866.short
4100  - http://smj.org.sa/content/25/7/866.full
SO  - Saudi Med J2004 Jul 01; 25
AB  - OBJECTIVE: The aim is to study the incidence of thyroid cancer in surgically treated nodular thyroid disease, clinicopathological characteristics and treatment results.METHODS: A retrospective review of 45 patients with thyroid malignancy at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during a 3-years period between January 2000 through to December 2003 was carried out. Analysis of clinicopathologic characteristics, age correlation to different risk factors, outcome of surgery and radioiodine treatment.RESULTS: A total of 120 thyroidectomies were performed during the 3-years period, January 2000 through to December 2003 at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital. Forty-five (37.5%) patients had histopathology confirmed diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Eighty-two point two percent cases of papillary carcinoma, 4.4% follicular type and 6.7% anaplastic and medullary carcinoma of thyroid. Mean age was 40.5 +/- 14.8 years. Male preponderance was seen in this study with males: female's ratio is 1.1:1. Nodular goiter was the most frequent presentation, observed in 30 (66.7%) cases. Fine needle aspiration cytology was suggestive of malignancy in 76% of cases. Ninety-seven patients with papillary carcinoma received ablative dose of radioiodine with average dose of 100-200 mCi. One female patient with follicular carcinoma of thyroid with bone, lung, and brain metastases received 4 doses of radioiodine with total dose of 800 mCi. Mortality rate was (2.2%), one patient died of complication of invasive anaplastic carcinoma with invasion of the trachea.CONCLUSION: There is a lot of controversy regarding thyroid malignancy investigations and management. We recommend that thyroid cancer patients should be treated by a team of endocrinologist, pathologist, experience thyroid surgeon, nuclear medicine and external radiotherapy physician to achieve an optimum care and good prognosis.