Diagnostic Benefit of Thyroglobulin Measurement in Fine-Needle Aspiration for Diagnosing Metastatic Cervical Lymph Nodes from Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Correlations with US Features.
10.3348/kjr.2009.10.2.106
- Author:
Se Jeong JEON
1
;
Eunhee KIM
;
Jeong Seon PARK
;
Kyu Ri SON
;
Jung Hwan BAEK
;
Yoon Suk KIM
;
Do Joon PARK
;
Bo Youn CHO
;
Dong Gyu NA
Author Information
1. Department of Radiology and Institute of Radiation Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul 110-744, Korea. nndgna@gmail.com
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Papillary thyroid cancer;
Lymph node metastasis;
Ultrasound (US);
Fine needle aspiration;
Thyroglobulin
- MeSH:
Biopsy, Fine-Needle;
Carcinoma, Papillary/*pathology;
Humans;
Lymph Nodes/*ultrasonography;
Lymphatic Metastasis/*diagnosis;
Retrospective Studies;
Sensitivity and Specificity;
Thyroglobulin/*metabolism;
Thyroid Neoplasms/*pathology;
Ultrasonography, Interventional
- From:Korean Journal of Radiology
2009;10(2):106-111
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
OBJECTIVE: Our goals were to determine the added value of fine-needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB)-thyroglobulin (Tg) measurements over FNAB-cytology alone for diagnosing metastatic nodes, and to determine whether the ultrasound features of lymph nodes can be used to identify lymph nodes that may benefit from FNAB-Tg measurement in patients with papillary thyroid cancer. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 76 surgically proven cervical lymph nodes. Twenty-nine patients were awaiting surgery and 18 patients had undergone thyroid surgery for papillary thyroid cancer. Ultrasound-guided FNAB and Tg measurements were performed and the ultrasound features were evaluated. RESULTS: The accuracies, sensitivities, and specificities of FNAB-cytology, FNAB-Tg, and combined FNAB-Tg/cytology were 90%, 80%, and 100%; 92%, 95%, and 90%; and 93%, 96%, and 90%, respectively. The diagnostic sensitivity of FNAB-Tg for metastatic nodes was significantly higher than that of FNAB-cytology (p = 0.011). Furthermore, combined FNAB-Tg/cytology significantly increased sensitivity (p = 0.002) and accuracy (p = 0.03) as compared with FNAB-cytology. CONCLUSION: Combined FNAB-Tg/cytology is significantly more sensitive and accurate at detecting metastatic nodes than FNAB-cytology alone. FNAB-Tg was better at diagnosing metastases in small lymph nodes.
