A Clinicopathological Study of Thyroid Cancers at King Edward Medical University / Mayo Hospital, Lahore

Abstract

Abstract

Objective:  The study was conducted to determine the frequency and clinicopathological aspects of various types of thyroid cancers in patients presenting with goitres and thyroid nodules.

Study Design:  Descriptive cross sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study:  It was an 11 year ret-rospective study commencing from January 2000 to December 2010 conducted at the Department of Patho-logy, King Edward Medical University, Lahore, Pakis-tan.

Materials and Methods:  Clinical data and Histopa-thology Reports of 2785 thyroid surgical specimens referred from the Surgical Units of Mayo Hospital, La-hore were reviewed and malignant cases were retri-eved for inclusion in this study. Patients from both sexes and all age groups were included.

Results:  Reports of a total of 2785 thyroid specimens were reviewed, out of which 170 cases (6.10%) were found to be thyroid cancers. These comprised of 130 cancers (76.47%) in females and 40 cases (23.52%) in males giving a female to male ratio of 3.25:1. Patients ranged in age from 8 years to 90 years. Papillary Car-cinoma was the commonest thyroid cancer comprising of 116 cases (68.23%), followed by Follicular Carci-noma which constituted of 24 cases (14.11%). Medul-lary Thyroid Carcinoma, Anaplastic Thyroid Carcino-ma, Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma and Poorly Differenti-ated (Insular) Carcinoma  each constituted of 11 cases (6.47%), 10 cases (5.88%), 4 cases (2.35%) and 2 ca-ses (1.17%) respectively. 2 cases (1.17%) of Carcino-ma Larynx showed local extension into the thyroid and there was a single case of Mixed Medullary / Papillary Carcinoma.

      15 cases (8.82%) of these thyroid cancers were seen in children and adolescents. Papillary Carcinoma was also the commonest thyroid cancer in children comprising of 13 cases. One case of Papillary Carci-noma was detected incidentally in an excised Thyro-glossal duct cyst. Medullary Carcinoma (associated with MEN II syndrome) and Follicular Carcinoma constituted one case each of these childhood cancers.

Conclusions:  Papillary Carcinoma was the commo-nest morphological type of thyroid cancer in both sexes and all age groups. All major histological types of thyroid cancers were more common in females.

Key Words:  Papillary Carcinoma (PC), Follicular Carcinoma (FC), Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma (MTC), Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma (ATC), Thyro-glossal Duct Cyst Carcinoma (TDCC).