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Ординатура / Хирургия / Библиотека им академика М.И. Перельмана / Книга_701_Библиотеки_им_академика_М_И_Перельмана

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356
M. Sakr
Fig. 13.14 CT neck showing right-sided thyroid neo­plastic lesion with query invasion of paravertebral muscles
Fig. 13.15 CT neck showing enlarged right upper deep cervical LN (level II)
Limitations
Both CT scan and MRI are relatively expensive and have a limited role in the initial evaluation of thyroid nodules as they have a limited ability in distinguishing benign from malignant lesions. However, they are necessary in some cases to determine the staging and extent of the disease and in planning surgery since CT scan can pro-
Fig. 13.16 CT neck showing enlarged left middle deep cervical LN (level III)
Fig. 13.17 CT neck showing enlarged right middle deep cervical LN (level III) (blue arrow), prelaryngeal (Delphic) LN (level VI) (orange arrow), and goiter (green arrow)
vide structural information about the gland and its relationship to adjacent structures as well as detection of cervical LNs with high sensitivity [179]. Unlike contrast media used with CT scan, contrast media (Gadolinium) used in MRI does not inuence thyroid function.
13.3.8.5 Positron Emission
Tomography (PET)
18F-2-uoro-2-deoxy-d-glucose-positron emis­sion tomography (FDG-PET) and PET-CT are nuclear medicine imaging tests that use a small amount of radiolabeled glucose to identify can-
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13 Malignant Thyroid Disease
Fig. 13.18 CT neck showing bilateral enlarged middle deep cervical LN (level III) (arrows)
cer. Since cancer cells are more metabolically active than normal cells, the cancer cells take up more of the radiolabeled glucose than normal cells and show up on the FDG-PET scan. FDG­PET scans are frequently combined with comput­erized tomography (CT) scans (PET-CT) to accurately identify where in the body a cancer is located.
A recent meta-analysis conrmed that approx­imately one-third 18FDG-PET positive thyroid nodules proved to be cancerous [180], with higher mean maximum standardized uptake value in malignant compared to benign nodules (6.9 vs. 4.8, P<0.001).
13.3.8.6 Fine-Needle Aspiration
Cytology (FNAC)
In malignant conditions of LNs, US- or CT-guided FNA enjoys a high sensitivity and specicity, the average being 95% [181187]. It virtually has eliminated the need for open biopsy of metastatic cervical lymphadenopathy and the sequela of violating tissue planes prior to de­nite treatment [185, 186]. In addition, FNA is quite helpful in differentiating metastatic squa­mous cell adenopathy from metastatic thyroid malignancy and even from enlarged LNs sec­ondary to lympho- proliferative and reactive ade­nopathy [187]. The high sensitivity of FNA for PTC is strongly correlated with tumor size.
357
Tumors smaller than 0.5 cm and those larger than 3cm may be more difcult to successfully aspirate on FNA [188].
Ultrasound (US)-Guided FNA
The use of US-guided FNA can improve the diagnostic accuracy and should be considered whenever confronted with a patient whose thy­roid nodule is difcult to palpate on physical examination or in whom the initial FNAB was nondiagnostic [189]. Still however, interpretation of the aspirate for denitive diagnosis may still not be possible.
A study by Yuan etal. on 78 patients, however, indicated that the patterns of enhancement differ signicantly between benign and malignant soli­tary thyroid nodules (STNs) examined with real­time, “contrast-enhanced” US, with most malignant lesions showing irregular shape, unclear boundary, and nonhomogeneous and incomplete enhancement [190]. In addition, the combination of the newer US techniques with “molecular markers” now available for FNAB may be able to accurately distinguish malignant from benign thyroid nodules.
To date, FNAB remains unpopular in “chil­dren” because of their smaller neck sizes, the need for heavier amounts of anesthesia and seda­tion, and the amount of specimen needed. Furthermore, because the higher rates of malig­nancy in children, denitive pathological diagno­sis is much more in demand. Despite of the difculties associated with FNAB, in a series involving 41 children, Al-Shaikh et al. reported 100% sensitivity, 86% specicity, and a 59% decrease in surgery rates [191].
Cytology Categories ofFNAC (Bethesda System)
The recently issued Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (BSRTC) [192], based on an NCI-sponsored conference (2007), is currently considered to be the most suitable for communicating ndings from thyroid smears. The cytodiagnostic categories of Besthesda Classication [192], with the corre­sponding estimated risk of malignancy, are listed in Table13.8.
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Table 13.8 The Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology recommended diagnostic categories [192]
Risk of
Category Description I Non-diagnostic or
unsatisfactory: Cyst uid only—Virtually acellular specimen, other (obscuring blood, clotting artifact)
II Benign: Consistent with a benign
follicular nodule, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or granulomatous thyroiditis
III Atypia of undetermined
signicance (AUS) or follicular lesion of undetermined signicance (FLUS)
IV Follicular neoplasm (FN) or
suspicious for a follicular neoplasm (SFN)
V Suspicious for malignancy
(SUSP)
VI Malignant 97–99%
cancer 1–4%
0–3%
5–15%
15–30%
60–75%
13.3.9 Surgery forPTC
13.3.9.1 Elective Surgical Treatment
Management ofthePrimary Tumor (Thyroid Surgery)
The terms “subtotal lobectomy” and “subtotal thyroidectomy” are imprecise and should be avoided. They are inappropriate for the treatment of thyroid cancer. The following terms should be used (Table13.9).
The RLNs should be identied and pre­served in virtually all instances. Permanent damage to a RLN should occur in <5% of thy­roid cancer but are higher after re-operative sur­gery [108]. Inltration by cancer contributes to RLN palsy rates [193]. Attempts should also be made to preserve the ELN by ligation of the STA at the capsule of the gland. Injury rates may be higher than for RLN damage [194]. The parathyroid glands (PTGs) should whenever possible be identied and preserved. If their vascular supply is compromised, the gland/s should be excised and re- implanted into muscle [195, 196]. LN dissection (level VI) results in increased risk of postoperative hypoparathy­roidism [197].
Table 13.9 Terms used in thyroid surgery
Term Description Lobectomy Complete removal of one thyroid
lobe including the isthmus
Near-total lobectomy
Near-total thyroidectomy
Total thyroidectomy
Table 13.10 Levels of lymph nodes in thyroid surgery
Lateral compartment of neck
Level I Submental (Ia) and submandibular
Level II Deep cervical chain skull base to
Level III Deep cervical chain level of hyoid
Level IV Deep chain from cricoid to
Level V Posterior triangle nodes, divided by
Central compartment of neck
Level VI Pretracheal and paratracheal nodes
Mediastinal nodes
Level VII Superior mediastinal nodes superior
Compartment 4
LNs between the brachio-cephalic vein and tracheal bifurcation within the anterior mediastinum
Total lobectomy leaving behind only the smallest amount of thyroid tissue (signicantly <1g) to protect the RLNs
Complete removal of one thyroid lobe (lobectomy) with a near-total lobectomy on the contralateral side or a bilateral near-total procedure
Removal of both lobes, isthmus, and pyramidal lobe
nodes (Ib)
hyoid. Divided spinal accessory nerve to IIa (medial) and IIb (lateral)
to level of cricoid
supra-sternal notch
omohyoid muscle into Va (above) and Vb (below)
from hyoid to sternal notch, and to the carotid arteries laterally
aspect to brachiocephalic vein
Management oftheNodal Spread
The levels of LNs in the thyroid surgery are listed in Table13.10, and types of neck dissections are summarized in Table13.11.
Differences exist regarding the procedure of choice for addressing the neck in PTC, from (1) a prophylactic ND in a clinically negative neck [147, 198, 199], to (2) expectant management with resection limited to palpable LN metastases that is selective removal or berry picking [200,
201] based on the view that nodal disease is clini-
cally insignicant and unlikely to inuence sur-
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Table 13.11 Types of neck dissection (ND)
Type Description Selective
neck dissection
Radical neck dissection (RND)
Modied RND (MRND)
Extended neck dissection
Cervical lymphadenectomy of less than levels I–V.The spinal accessory nerve (SAN), internal jugular vein (IJV) and sternocleidomastoid muscle (SCM) are preserved
A classical RND removes all the lymphatic tissue in levels I–V plus SAN, SCM, and IJV
Removal of LNs I–V+preservation of one or more non-lymphatic structures as follows:
1. MRND type I: Preservation of the SAN
2. MRND type II: Preservation of the SAN and IJV
3. MRND type III (functional): Preservation of the SAN, IJV and SCM
Removal of one or more additional LN groups for example Para-pharyngeal, and superior mediastinal nodes and/or non-lymphatic structures
vival [202], or (3) a formal comprehensive dissection of all lateral LNs (MRND) [203205] in a clinically positive neck, based on the consen­sus of the high frequency of occult nodal disease with reduced recurrence-free survival.
Surgical Decision forTreatment ofPTC
Patients with a node-negative cancer of <1 cm (pT1) can be adequately treated by lobectomy [39, 40]. For tumors >1cm, multifocal disease, extra-thyroidal spread, familial disease, clinically involved nodes, and children with history of pre­vious neck irradiation, TT is indicated [206].
If the diagnosis of thyroid cancer is made after thyroid lobectomy and completion (contra­lateral) lobectomy is required, it should be offered within 8weeks of histological diagnosis of cancer.
In patients with no clinical LNs, but who are high risk (male, >45years, tumors >4cm, extra­capsular, or extra-thyroidal disease), TT and cen­tral node dissection should be considered [108].
Palpable disease in level VI nodes discovered at surgery is treated by a level VI node dissec­tion. When suspicious/clinically involved nodes are apparent preoperatively or are encountered
at surgery in the lateral neck, and conrmed by needle biopsy or frozen-section, then a selective neck dissection (levels IIa–Vb) is recom­mended, preserving the SAN, SCM, and IJV [207].
Surgery forPapillary (or Follicular) Micro-carcinoma
Patients with WDTCs <1cm have an extremely low risk of death from thyroid cancer (0.1%) [68] and hence can be treated adequately by thy­roid lobectomy provided that the tumor does not extend beyond the thyroid capsule, and there is no evidence of metastases, vascular invasion, multifocality, or contralateral disease. Otherwise, completion of thyroidectomy and RAI is necessary. Future treatment involves TSH suppression with thyroxin and measure­ment of the serum Tg.
13.3.9.2 Emergency Surgery
It is rare for emergency surgery to be needed in PTC. However, acute presentation of a patient with thyroid cancer and severe airway compro­mise requires urgent/immediate surgery.
13.3.9.3 Surgery forLocally Advanced Disease
When preoperative vocal cord (VC) examination shows no sign of RLN palsy, every attempt should be made to dissect the tumor from the nerve/s. In patients with unilateral nerve involve­ment and extensive extra-thyroidal disease, the nerve may have to be sacriced to achieve a cura­tive procedure. It may not be possible to remove the entire tumor without damaging both RLNs. A small residue of tumor may be left behind to pro­tect the nerve/s and be subsequently dealt with by
131
I ablation and -thyroxin with or without
EBRT [193].
In individual patients with locally advanced disease involving the upper aerodigestive tract and/or one or both RLNs, curative excisional sur­gery of the tracheal wall and/or esophagus should be considered. When radical curative surgery is not possible or agreed to by the patient, treatment with radical radiotherapy
131
I should be
considered.
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13.3.10 Prognostic Indicators
In general, survival for patients with PTC is believed to be relatively good, especially when compared with that of patients with other thyroid and non-thyroid malignancies. However, not all patients with PTC fare well, and one of the major challenges is to identify patients with poor progno­sis to offer more aggressive and efcacious treat­ment [68].
13.3.10.1 Factors Aecting Prognosis andSurvival
Age: Nearly all the deaths from PTCs occur
when the tumor manifests itself after the age of 40years.
Gender: Women are said to have a better prog-
nosis than men, although in some series the difference was not signicant.
Extra-thyroidal extension: This feature
adversely affects the prognosis in a very sig­nicant manner and has have been incorpo­rated into the staging system of thyroid carcinoma.
Microscopic variant: Among the different
variants of PTC, the diffuse sclerosing, tall/ columnar cell, and diffuse follicular variants have the worst prognosis.
Poorly differentiated, squamous or anaplastic
foci: These features have a markedly detri­mental effect on prognosis. Fortunately, they are present in <5% of cases.
History of previous irradiation: Contrary to
previous statements, the prognosis of tumors in which this antecedent is present does not seem to differ signicantly from the others.
Tumor size: A rough inverse correlation is
present between tumor size and prognosis.
Capsule and margins: Tumors that are encap-
sulated and/or have pushing margins have a better outcome than the others.
Multicentricity: Patients in whom this is a
prominent feature have a greater incidence of metastasis and a lesser chance of disease-free survival.
Distant metastases: Prognosis is adversely
affected by metastases to the lungs and is
more inuenced by metastases to other sites, such as the skeletal system.
Grading: This parameter bears a denite rela-
tionship with prognosis that has been underes­timated. However, it needs to be clearly dened in terms of criteria (necrosis, mitotic activity, etc.) and properly standardized for it to reach its full potential.
Circulating tumor cells: The presence of cir-
culating tumor cells (as determined with an RT-PCR assay for thyroglobulin (Tg) mRNA) seems to be associated with a higher likelihood of metastatic disease but may not play a practical role in clinical management.
13.3.10.2 Prognostic Scales/Scores
AGES Scale: This is a postoperative prognos-
tic scale originated in Mayo clinic. It is an acronym standing for Age, pathologic tumor Grade, Extent of disease, and Size of tumor [208].
MACIS Scale: This more sophisticated post-
operative scale is a modication of the AGES system. Factors assessed are distant Metastases, Age at presentation (<40 or>40years), Completeness of original surgi- cal resection, extra-thyroidal Invasion, and Size of original lesion (in cm) [208].
AMES Score: Cady and Rossi described a
prognostic scoring system, originating in Lahey clinic, based on Age, Metastases, Extent, and Size of tumor. Stage for stage and risk of death are mostly related to age and gen­der [209211]. Age limits were dened as older than 40 years in men but older than 50years in women. Patients <45years of age without distant metastases usually are consid­ered to be at low risk [208]. Distant metastasis at the time of diagnosis was the greatest pre­dictor of survival [212]. The extent of tumor indicated extra-capsular tumor invasion, and size limits were greater than 5cm.
– The most signicant single prognostic indica-
tor overall is distant metastases, especially to bone. Local invasion of the primary tumor through the thyroid capsule into the adjacent
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13 Malignant Thyroid Disease
Table 13.12 Stratication of patients and differentiated thyroid tumors
Risk Description Low-risk
patients High-risk
patients
Low-risk tumors
High-risk tumors
Females under the age of 45years
All males and females over 45years (patients under 16years should be regarded as high-risk and are usually best treated aggressively)
PTC <1cm in size and minimally invasive FTC <1cm in size
PTC and FTC >1cm in size, any tumor associated with signicant multifocality, local, or distant spread
361
Fig. 13.19 FTC consisting of fairly uniform cells form­ing small follicles containing colloid
Table 13.13 The 5-year survival of PTC according to stage
Stage 5-Year survival rate I Near 100% II Near 100% III 93% IV 51%
structures increases the mortality ten-fold over matched patients with intra-thyroidal tumors [213].
From these different systems, patients as well as differentiated thyroid tumors are nally strati­ed into low-risk and high-risk patients and tumors as shown in Table13.12. The 5-year sur­vival rate (SR) of PTC according to stageof dis­eae is listed in Table13.13.
13.4 Follicular Thyroid Cancer
(FTC)
Follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTCs) account for 5–15% of primary thyroid cancers but constitute 25–40% in areas with dietary I2 deciency.
13.4.1 Gross Features
Follicular carcinomas appear as single nodules that may be well-circumscribed or widely inl­trative. Sharply demarcated lesions may be exceedingly difcult to distinguish from follicu­lar adenomas by gross examination. Larger
lesions may penetrate the capsule and inltrate well beyond the thyroid capsule into the adja­cent neck structures. They are gray to tan pink on cut section and may be somewhat translucent due to the presence of large, colloid-lled folli­cles. Degenerative changes such as center bro­sis and foci of calcication are sometimes present.
13.4.2 Microscopic Appearance
Microscopically, most FTCs composed of fairly uniform cells forming small follicles containing colloid (Fig.13.19). In other cases, follicular dif­ferentiation may be less apparent, and there may be nests or sheets of cells without colloid. Occasional tumors are dominated by cells with abundant granular, eosinophilic cytoplasm (Hurthle cell or oncocytic variant of FTC). Whatever the pattern, the nuclei lack the features typical of PTC, and psammoma bodies are not present.
While nuclear features (optically clear nuclei, nuclear grooves) are helpful in distinguishing papillary from follicular neoplasms, there are no reliable cytological difference between follicular adenomas and minimally invasive follicular car­cinomas. Making this distinction requires exten­sive histological sampling of tumor–capsule– thyroid interface to exclude capsular and/or vas­cular invasion [214]. The criterion for vascular invasion applies solely and strictly to “veins” in or beyond the capsule; the presence of tumor
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362
plugs within intra-tumoral blood vessels has lit­tle prognostic signicance, whereas the deni­tion of capsular invasion is controversial [214,
215]. Some authors require penetration of the
capsule to diagnose a follicular carcinoma, while others need tumor invasion through the capsule into the surrounding normal thyroid [215, 216].
Distant metastases have been reported in fol­licular carcinoma diagnosed only on the basis of capsular and not vascular invasion; however, in some cases, metastases were already present at initial diagnosis [217]. Unlike in papillary can­cers, lymphatic spread is uncommon in follicular cancers.
In contrast to minimally invasive follicular carcinoma, the diagnosis of carcinoma is obvious in widely invasive follicular carcinomas, which inltrate the thyroid parenchyma and extra­thyroidal soft tissue. Histologically, these cancers tend to have a greater proportion of solid or tra­becular growth pattern, less evidence of follicular differentiation, and increased mitotic activity. Up to 80% of patients with widely invasive follicular cancer can develop metastases with a mortality rate of approximately 50%.
13.4.3 Clinical Aspects
Follicular thyroid carcinomas (FTCs) are more common in women (3:1) and occur more in older patients than do PTCs; with the peak incidence between 40 and 60years of age [218]. Symptoms suggesting carcinoma include hoarseness of voice, rapid growth of a thyroid nodule, dyspha­gia, hemoptysis, or pain in the neck. Uncommon presentations include cervical lymphadenopathy, symptomatic bone pain from metastatic disease to the spine, pelvis or ribs, asymptomatic lung metastases found radiographically, and focal neurological abnormalities from distant spread to the brain.
Physical examination may reveal a hard, irreg­ular, solitary, xed thyroid mass causing local compressive symptoms with or without associ­ated cervical lymphadenopathy (Fig. 13.20). Direct laryngoscopy should be performed to detect a vocal cord paresis or, rarely, tracheal
M. Sakr
Fig. 13.20 A 41-year-old lady with a large, hard, irregu­lar thyroid mass that proved by histology to be a follicular carcinoma. Note the dilated veins over the sternum
invasion when present. A thyroid mass with an associated ipsilateral vocal cord paresis contains carcinoma until proven otherwise.
Multicentricity and LN involvement are less frequent (10–20%) in FTC than in PTC [219], and metastasis to the lungs and bones results from a tendency of these tumors to spread by hematogenous pathways instead of lymphatic channels.
13.4.4 Surgical Decision
forTreatment ofFollicular Carcinoma
At present, FNAC cannot distinguish follicular adenoma or benign hyperplastic nodules from carcinoma [220]. Thy three cytology usually mandates lobectomy as the least surgical proce­dure. Frozen-section is unhelpful when the FNAC diagnosis is that of a follicular lesion (Thy3). If denitive histology reveals a follicular adenoma (Fig.13.21) or a hyperplastic nodule, no further teratment is required.
A “FTC”<1 cm with minimal capsular inva­sion should be treated by lobectomy [221].
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13 Malignant Thyroid Disease
Table 13.14 The 5-year survival according to stage
5-year survival
Stage Description I Intra-thyroidal disease Near 100% II With cervical LN
metastases
III With extra-thyroidal
extension
IV With distant metastases 50%
rate
Near 100%
71%
13.5 Hurthle Cell (Oncocytic)
Tumors
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Fig. 13.21 Follicular adenoma with regular cells and no capsular or vascular invasion
Patients with FTC showing evidence of vascular invasion should be treated with TT and those with FTC >4cm should be treated with TT.Low­risk patients (women, patients <45 years with tumors <2 cm) may be treated by lobectomy alone and -thyroxin [222].
Clear recommendations for otherwise low­risk patients with tumors 2–4cm showing mini­mal capsular invasion only cannot be made [205].
Palpable/suspicious cervical LNs are dealt with in a similar manner to PCT.If the diagnosis of thy­roid cancer has been made after thyroid lobectomy and completion, (contra-lateral) thyroid lobectomy is required; the latter should be offered within 8weeks of histological diagnosis of cancer.
13.4.5 Prognostic Factors
The outcome of patients with FTC is generally worse than that of PTC and is directly related to the stage of disease at the time of diagnosis. Patients are divided into four clinical stages based on the extent of disease at presentation as shown in Table13.14.
Independent prognostic factors that inuence survival in follicular carcinoma include (1) age > 45 years, (2) extra-thyroidal extension (capsular invasion and angioinvasion), (3) distant metastases, (4) lymph node involvement, (5) tumor size >4cm, and (6) an aneuploid DNA pat­tern [223].
13.5.1 Introduction
Hürthle cell neoplasms (HCNs) are an uncom­mon group of thyroid epithelial tumors that gen­erate much controversy and have additional names in the literature such as Ashkenazy cell or Langhans tumors. There is ongoing disagree­ment, regarding the cell of origin of these neo­plasms; follicular versus para-follicular. Furthermore, some surgeons consider all Hürthle cell neoplasms to be potentially malignant and therefore warrant aggressive surgical therapy [224], while others believe that certain histopath­ological features can predict the biological behavior of HCNs and consequently can identify patients for whom a more conservative treatment is appropriate [225].
There is an increased incidence of malignancy with increasing age, prior exposure to radiation, and concomitant PTC or FTC at a site different from the index nodule [224, 226]. Once a Hürthle cell neoplasm is proven to be malignant, surgery is the only effective therapy.
13.5.2 Clinical Presentation
The incidence of Hurthle cell neoplasm (HCN) varies between 3 and 10% in all thyroid nodules [224230]., of which 10–35% is Hürthle cell car­cinoma (HCC) [225, 227]. At the time of diagno­sis of Hürthle cell carcinoma, approximately 75% are conned to the thyroid gland, 15% have distant metastases, and 10% have LN metastases [224, 226].
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M. Sakr
The clinical presentation of HCNs is similar
13.5.3 Pathology
to that of follicular neoplasms, appearing mostly as a solitary, nonfunctioning nodule. The pres­ence of symptoms should raise the suspicion of carcinoma, which may be aggressive in nature, grow rapidly, and cause compressive symptoms (Fig. 13.22). However, about 30% of patients with HCNs will have an additional benign thy­roid disease such as Graves’ disease, MNG, or Hashimoto’s thyroiditis (HT); and accordingly, may present with symptoms of hyperthyroidism.
13.5.3.1 Adenoma or Carcinoma?
HCNs have been classied into Hurthle cell ade­noma (HCA) and Hurthle cell carcinoma (HCC) [231]. In the absence of metastasis, a controversy arises regarding the nature of HCN as whether it is benign or malignant since cytological criteria diagnostic of malignancy on FNA, like cellular atypia and architectural distortion, may be found in benign HCNs [232]. In this context, FNAB usually reports “BHCL/HCN” [233].
Hürthle cell neoplasms generally present later in life than papillary and follicular tumors, most commonly appearing in the sixth decade of life and are more common in females, though malignant lesions are more common in men [224].
characterized by large polygonal cells, distinct cell borders, and voluminous granular cytoplasm because of huge number of mitochondria lling the cell,in addition to a large nucleus and promi­nent nucleolus (Fig.13.23) [234]. However, these
Hurthle cell neoplasms of the thyroid gland is
Fig. 13.22 A 53-old-gentleman with a huge thyroid gland, more on the right side, and retro-sternal extension. Biopsy proved to be a Hurthle cell carcinoma (a). Lateral view of the same patient. Note the huge size and dilated veins (b)
Fig. 13.23 Hürthle cells arranged in loosely cohesive clusters and single cells. The cells are polyhedral and have abundant granular cytoplasm with well-dened cell borders. Nuclei are enlarged and have a central prominent macro-nucleolus
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features can also be found in nodular goiter, foci of nonspecic chronic thyroiditis, long-standing hyperthyroidism, and HT [235].
Thus, the mere presence of Hürthle cells does not necessarily signify a neoplastic process. The presence of a capsule surrounding Hürthle cells, on the other hand, is the dening characteristic of Hürthle cell neoplasms, which contain at least a 75% Hürthle cell component.
Hurthle cell tumors are generally believed to be a variant of follicular neoplasms [226]. However, other authors believe that they repre­sent a distinct entity, citing the unique oncogenic expression and the relative inability of Hürthle cells to absorb radioiodine [225].
13.5.3.2 Cytological/Histopathological
Features
Diagnosis of a HCN by FNA can typically be classied as a follicular lesion of undetermined signicance (FLUS) or atypia of undetermined signicance (AUS) with Hürthle cell features (AUS/FLUS/Hürthle cell lesion of undetermined signicance [HLUS], Bethesda III). Both benign and malignant oncocytic lesions can demon­strate marked cytological atypia, complicating the process of diagnosis on biopsy alone. Overall, the projected risk of malignancy for this diagnostic category is 5–15%. A cytological diagnosis of suspicious for HCN (Bethesda IV) carries a projected 15–30% risk of malignancy [236].
The diagnostic category “AUS” should be reserved for thyroid FNAs containing cells with architectural and/or nuclear atypia that is not suf­cient to classify as suspicious for neoplasm, suspicious for malignancy, or malignancy; how­ever, atypia is more marked than can be desig­nated as benign [237, 238]. Thus, AUS is a heterogeneous category with different cytologi­cal scenarios. It is suggested to use the AUS cat­egory if there is a predominance of Hurthle cells in a sparsely cellular FNA with scant colloid or when there is a moderately or markedly cellular sample composed of a virtually exclusive popula­tion of Hurthle cells yet the clinical setting sug­gests a benign Hurthle cell nodule, especially
lymphocytic thyroiditis and multinodular goiter [239].
Unfortunately, intra-operative frozen-sec­tion examination was consistently reported to be unhelpful in discriminating benign from malignant HCNs [240243]. Thus, the sole dis­tinction is based on the presence or absence of capsular invasion (CI) and vascular invasion (VI), which can only be reliably identied in parafn-section. Therefore, in patients with FNAC demonstrating an HCN, diagnostic sur­gical excision should be performed if molecu­lar testing is not done or if it is inconclusive [244].
Given the aggressive behavior of histologi­cally proven malignant HCN reported by some investigators, such indeterminate ndings impose a challenging situation in which clini­cians tend to follow a more aggressive surgical approach. However, the incidence of malig­nancy among nodules, cytologically suspicious HCN, was found, by histopathology, to range from 5% to 35% only [241, 245]. Thus, a con­siderable proportion of these patients are unnec­essarily exposed to the risk of surgical complications.
13.5.3.3 Stratication ofHurthle Cell
Carcinoma Risk
Hurthle cell carcinoma (HCC) is currently desig­nated by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a histopathological variant of FTC, and this is echoed in the American Thyroid Association (ATA) and National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) treatment guidelines, with HCC following the same risk stratication as that of follicular carcinoma. For the ATA, intra­thyroidal encapsulated tumors with minor capsu­lar or vascular invasion (<4foci) or≤5 metastatic LNs where the foci of metastases are <0.2cm are considered to be “low risk.” The “intermediate risk” is dened by vascular invasion, minimal extra-thyroidal extension (ETE), or>5 metastatic LNs (0.2–3 cm). “High-risk” patients include those with macroscopic ETE, incomplete tumor resection, distant metastases, or metastatic LNs >3cm [246].
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