In order to determine the incidence and to understand recent trend of thyroid neoplasm and other thyroid diseases among Korean, a nation-wide collection of biopsy-confirmed and surgically removed thyroid lesions from 30 pathology laboratories of university and general hospitals was made over a 3-year-period from 1986 to 1988. These tumors and tumor-like lesions of the thyroid were classified according to the WHO classification. Results of this study were compared with those of the previous in Korea and other countries. Among the 7758 collected cases from 7449 patients, adenomatous goiter was the most common, comprising 2681 cases (34.6%), followed by follicular adenoma, 1868 cases (24.1%) and papillary carcinoma, 1474 cases (19%). Neoplastic condition comprised 48.8% (3786 cases). Of malignant tumors, papillary carcinoma was the most frequent accounting for 79.8%. The female to male ratio was 7.5:1 with female predominance. This female predominance was noted in all but two thyroid diseases. Medullary carcinoma showed equal distribution in both sexes, and two cases of malignant lymphoma developed in males. Thyroid diseases were common at the 3rd to 6th decades with peak incidence at the 4th decade. The right lobe of the thyroid was more frequently involved than the left lobe (1.6:1). The diagnoses were made largely on the surgically excised specimen (85.3%). Multiplicity of the lesions revealed single lesion in 64%, multiple and diffuse lesion in 36% of cases investigated. Average size of the lesion was in the range of 1-5 cm in diameter (62%).
Adenoma/diagnosis/*epidemiology/pathology ; Adolescent ; Adult ; Biopsy ; Carcinoma/diagnosis/*epidemiology/pathology ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Female ; Humans ; Incidence ; Infant ; Infant, Newborn ; Korea/epidemiology ; Lymphoma/diagnosis/*epidemiology/pathology ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Thyroid Diseases/*epidemiology ; Thyroid Neoplasms/diagnosis/*epidemiology/pathology ; World Health Organization

INTRODUCTIONNodular goitres occur commonly in the population and this paper aims to determine the incidence of thyroid cancer found in these goitres.

MATERIALS AND METHODSThis is a retrospective, consecutive analysis of the histology of 268 nodular goitres that had been operated on, from 2002 to 2004, in a single tertiary hospital in Singapore.

RESULTSFifty-seven goitres (21.2%) with multiple nodules were found to contain a malignancy. Forty-four thyroid cancers (77%) were of the papillary type. The mean age of presentation for benign nodular goitres was 47.9 years. The mean age of presentation for malignant thyroid tumours was 49.25 years.

CONCLUSIONThe incidence of cancer is significant in nodular goitres and these malignant tumours are usually of the papillary type.

Biopsy, Fine-Needle ; Female ; Goiter, Nodular ; diagnostic imaging ; pathology ; surgery ; Humans ; Incidence ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Pathology, Clinical ; Retrospective Studies ; Risk Assessment ; Risk Factors ; Singapore ; epidemiology ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; diagnosis ; epidemiology ; pathology ; Ultrasonography

Adenocarcinoma, Follicular ; epidemiology ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Carcinoma, Papillary ; pathology ; DNA-Binding Proteins ; metabolism ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Genes, ras ; genetics ; Humans ; Point Mutation ; Prognosis ; Thyroglobulin ; metabolism ; Thyroid Neoplasms ; epidemiology ; genetics ; metabolism ; pathology ; Transcription Factors

X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis protein (XIAP) is associated with tumor genesis, growth, progression and metastasis, and acts by blocking caspase-mediated apoptosis. In the present study, we sought to evaluate the expression patterns of XIAP in various neoplastic thyroid disorders and determine the association between XIAP expression and clinicopathologic factors. Expression of XIAP was evaluated with immunohistochemical staining using monoclonal anti-XIAP in 164 specimens of conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and 53 specimens of other malignant or benign thyroid tumors. XIAP positivity was observed in 128 (78%) of the 164 conventional PTC specimens. Positive rates of XIAP expression in follicular variant PTC, follicular, medullary, poorly differentiated, and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma specimens were 20%, 25%, 38%, 67%, and 38%, respectively. Six nodular hyperplasia specimens were negative and 1 of 7 follicular adenomas (8%) was positive for XIAP. Lateral neck lymph node metastases were more frequent in patients negative for XIAP expression (P = 0.01). Immunohistochemical staining for XIAP as a novel molecular marker may thus be helpful in the differential diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Moreover, high XIAP expression in conventional PTC is strongly associated with reduced risk of lateral neck lymph node metastasis.
Adult ; Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology ; Diagnosis, Differential ; Female ; *Gene Expression Regulation, Neoplastic ; Humans ; Immunohistochemistry ; Lymphatic Metastasis/diagnosis ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Neoplasm Staging ; Thyroid Neoplasms/epidemiology/metabolism/*pathology ; X-Linked Inhibitor of Apoptosis Protein/immunology/*metabolism