Background: It is generally believed that multinodular goiter (MNG) is associated with a lower risk of malignancy compared to solitary thyroid nodules (STN). This will be the null hypothesis in this retrospective study and we aim to prove or reject it.Methods: Medical files and histopathology reports of 600 patients who underwent thyroidectomy over 4-year period were reviewed. Data including patient' age, gender, presentation, ultrasonography, FNAC, surgical procedures, final histopathologic diagnosis and stage of malignant tumors were collected and analyzed. The primary end point was assessment of risk of thyroid carcinoma in patients with MNG compared to those with STN. Secondary endpoints included demographic differences and prognosis.Results: There were 459 females (76.5%). Mean age was 44.3 AE 14.5 years (range 14-85). After exclusion of 33 patients, 224 (39.5%) had STN and 343 (60.5%) had MNG. The prevalence of thyroid cancer was 41.1% (92/224) in STN compared to 29.2% (100/343) in MNG (Chi-Square = 8.593, p < 0.01). However, on multiple logistic regression analysis this correlation was found insignificant ( p = 0.640). Only male gender ( p = <0.000005) and preoperative impression of malignancy ( p = 0.000082) were significantly associated with thyroid carcinoma.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.