Examine the Frequency of Thyroid Cancer in Patients with Multinodular Goiter

Objective: To determine the incidence of differentiated thyroid carcinoma in patients with multinodular goiter undergoing thyroidectomy. Study Design: Retrospective/Observational Place and Duration of Study: Shahida Islam Teaching Hospital Lodhran from 1st February 2018 to 31st March 2020. Methodology: Ninety patients of both genders with ages 20 to 70 years undergoing thyroidectomy for multinodular goiter were enrolled in this study. Patients detailed demographics including age, sex, residence, socio-economic status, smoking history, and family history of thyroid malignancy were recorded after written consent. Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration cytology and histopathological examination was done to examine the thyroid malignancy. Results: Sixty eight (75.56%) were females while 22 (24.44%) were males with mean age 44.15 +/- 13.53 years. 30 (33.33%) patients were smokers and 18 (20%) patients had family history of thyroid malignancy. Sixteen (17.78%) patients found to have malignancy while 74 (82.22%) had benign findings. Among 16 patients 8 (50%) had papillary carcinoma, 5 (31.25%) had follicular carcinoma, 2 (12.5%) had anaplastic and 1 (6.25%) had lymphoma. Conclusion: Thyroid malignancy is highly associated with multinodular goiter. Papillary carcinoma was the most frequent malignancy found in multinodular goiter patients.