Follicular thyroid adenoma with papillary architecture

@#A 23-year-old woman underwent left thyroid lobectomy and isthmusectomy for a 2 cm diameter firm mass on the left side of the neck that was also visualized on ultrasonography. The specimen consisted of a 22-gram thyroid gland composed of the left lobe, isthmus and a pyramidal lobe. Cut section of the left lobe showed a 3.5 cm diameter solitary, discrete and encapsulated mass with a tan lobulated and solid cut surface. The rest of the thyroid tissues had red-brown meaty cut surfaces. Microscopic section shows a follicular-patterned proliferation enclosed by a thin fibrous capsule with frequent Sanderson polster-like papillary excrescences. (Figures 1 and 2) Both the follicular and the papillary structures are lined by cuboidal to columnar follicular epithelial cells that had ample eosinophilic to pale cytoplasm and uniformly sized, minimally enlarged, generally round, and monolayered nuclei without nuclear grooving, folds, pseudoinclusions, and chromatin clearing. There are no mitotic figures seen. Some of the papillary structures have delicate vascular cores. (Figure 3) There are no psammoma bodies noted. The follicles contain variable amounts of pale eosinophilic colloid ranging from colloid-poor crowded follicles to those with ample colloid that have frequent peripheral scalloping. (Figure 4) Exhaustive sections failed to disclose capsular or vascular invasion. Based on the microscopic features, a diagnosis of follicular adenoma with papillary architecture was rendered.

Marcadores de riesgo de neoplasia folicular en nódulos tiroideos / Risk markers of follicular neoplasms in thyroid nodules

Los nódulos tiroideos de origen folicular abarcan procesos no neoplásicos y neoplásicos. No existen métodos de diagnóstico ni rasgos citológicos por punción con aguja fina (PAF) que los delimiten, constituyendo un dilema su diagnóstico diferencial. Analizamos la asociación existente entre variables clínicas y métodos de diagnóstico prequirúrgicos en nódulos tiroideos de estirpe folicular, con el objetivo de definir riesgo de neoplasia.Se estudiaron 92 pacientes con bocios nodulares de estirpe folicular por citología, tratados con tiroidectomía. Las variables analizadas fueron: sexo, edad, tamaño del nódulo, características ecográficas, diagnóstico citológico, nivel de TSH y resultados del centellograma. De los 92 casos, 74 fueron neoplásicos (56 adenomas y 18 carcinomas diferenciados) y 18 nódulos no neoplásicos, hiperplásicos o adenomatosos. Los marcadores que se relacionaron con alto riesgo de neoplasia folicular correspondieron al diagnóstico citológico de proliferación folicular de alto grado, en nódulos iso o hipoecogénicos, e hipocaptantes con I131. Los carcinomas presentaron citología de proliferación folicular de alto grado en nódulos hipoecogénicos, de bordes irregulares con microcalcificaciones e hipocaptantes, en pacientes varones o menores de 20 años. La presencia de macrocalcificaciones e hipercaptación estarían a favor de nódulo de origen benigno.La correlación de los métodos de diagnóstico y variables clínicas en nódulos tiroideos de estirpe folicular nos permitirían delimitar el riesgo de neoplasia y carcinoma para planificar un tratamiento quirúrgico selectivo.

Thyroid nodules of follicular origin include neoplastic and non neoplastic processes. No methods of diagnosis or cytological features (obtained by fine-needle aspiration, FNA) may differentiate both types, and therefore differential diagnosis still constitutes a dilemma.We analyzed the existing association between clinical variables and methods of diagnosis in thyroid nodules of follicular type with the aim of defining risk of neoplasm. Ninety two patients with nodular goiters, of follicular origin by cytology, previously submitted to surgical treatment were analyzed. The studied variables were: sex, age, size of the nodule, ultrasound characteristics, cytological diagnosis, TSH level and results of the scintigraphy. Of 92 cases, 74 were neoplastic nodules (56 adenomas and 18 differentiated thyroid cancer) and 18 were non neoplastic nodules. Markers, that were related to high risk of follicular neoplasm corresponded to the cytological diagnosis of proliferation of high follicular degree, in iso or hypoechoic, and hypofunctioning nodules with I131. The carcinomas presented cytology of follicular proliferation of high degree, in hipoechoic nodules, of irregular edges with microcalcifications and hypofunctioning, in male patients or patients younger than 20 years. The presence of macrocalcifications and hypercaptation would be in favor of nodules of benign origin.The correlation of diagnostic methods and clinical variables in thyroid nodules of follicular type would allow us to differentiate the risk of neoplasm or carcinoma, and plan surgical selective treatments.