You will probably go to a medical clinic to have the procedure performed. National Cancer Institute. Epub 2019 Aug 16. Fine-needle aspiration (FNA) is the primary diagnostic methodology used for thyroid nodule evaluation. This risk typically increases the larger the dose or the younger the person at the time of treatment. Sometimes these nodules make too much thyroid hormone and cause hyperthyroidism. Equally important, theses data demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of diagnostic FNA for the evaluation of nodules regardless of size, while also providing insight into the biology of thyroid cancer itself. #1 should be pretty obviously- When the thyroid nodule is cancerous. Separately, however, our findings also suggest that large nodule size, when cancerous, influences the specific type of thyroid carcinoma itself. Thyroid nodules TABLE 5 Comparison of area under curve of malignant tumors according to ATA guideline high suspicion and ACR TIRADS TR5. Unable to load your collection due to an error, Unable to load your delegates due to an error. Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. For reprint requests, please see our Content Usage Policy. During this test, an isotope of radioactive iodine is injected into a vein in your arm. People can develop thyroid nodules at any age, but they occur most commonly in older adults. In such cases, a physician who is experienced with thyroid disease can use other criteria to make a decision about whether to operate. Cancer is the primary concern when nodules appear, but in the vast majority of cases, nodules in the thyroid are benign. Treatment depends on the type of thyroid nodule you have. Goldman L, et al., eds. Does a higher American College of Radiology Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (ACR TI-RADS) score forecast an increased risk of malignancy? A common treatment for cancerous nodules is surgical removal. Your doctor will likely ask you to swallow while he or she examines your thyroid because a nodule in your thyroid gland will usually move up and down during swallowing. In thyroid ultrasoundography, high-frequency sound waves pass through the skin and are reflected back to the machine to create detailed images of the thyroid. Before you agree to the test or the procedure make sure you know: Damage to the structures near the thyroid, The reason you are having the test or procedure, What results to expect and what they mean, The risks and benefits of the test or procedure, What the possible side effects or complications are, When and where you are to have the test or procedure, Who will do the test or procedure and what that persons qualifications are, What would happen if you did not have the test or procedure, Any alternative tests or procedures to think about, Who to call after the test or procedure if you have questions or problems, How much will you have to pay for the test or procedure.