THYROID NODULES/CANCER IN CHILDREN-HOW
FREQUENT IS THE PROBLEM?
Thyroid nodules are less common among
children than adults but are more likely to be malignant in children referred
for evaluation of nodular thyroid disease (25 % vs. 5 %). Estimates from
ultrasound (US) and postmortem examination suggest that 1 % - 1.5 % of children
and up to 15 % of older adolescents or young adults have thyroid nodules,
although it remains unclear how many of these would have become clinically
apparent. In general, the prevalence of thyroid nodules is much greater in
children than is generally appreciated. It remains unclear how many of these
nodules would reach a clinical threshold during childhood. Risk factors for
developing thyroid nodules in children include head and neck irradiation,
female gender, iodine deficiency, age of puberty, and family or personal
history of thyroid disease. Several nonthyroid diseases, such as abscesses,
lymphatic or vascular malformations, ectopic thymus, thyroglossal duct cysts,
and tumors, may mimic thyroid nodules in children. Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
creating palpable changes in the gland can also evoke a nodule.
Thyroid 25 (7): 716
The Oncologist 20 (1): 19
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