Molecular algorithms in thyroid neoplasia

Abstract

Papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most comm on thyroid malignancy, with an incidence of <100 cases per year in Ireland and 16,000 cases per year in the U.S. Incidence is increasing with a global estimate of half a million new cases this year. How ever, benign thyroid nodules are far more frequent and distinguishing between them and malignant nodules is a common diagnostic problem . It is estimated that 5-10% of people will develop a clinically significant thyroid nodule during their lifetime. Although the introduction of fine needle aspiration (FNA) 30 years ago made identifying PTC more reliable, clinicians often have to make decisions regarding patient care on the basis of equivocal information.