# new member - thyroid nodule - fna results



## shutterbug (Dec 30, 2009)

hello. i was just wondering if anyone may have had similar results/experience to what i've had discovered recently.

i've had blood tests, plus an ultrasound and fna on a thyroid nodule and the doctor has advised me of the following: 
- there's a dominant nodule large in size (5.4cm) on the left side of my thyroid plus more small nodules (less than 1cm each) on the right side of my thyroid
- fna found "follicular cells and scanty colloid" 
- basically doctors have said it will hopefully be benign but they cannot be entirely sure until they remove it. they've said there's still a 15 to 20% chance of cancer. 
- blood test checking thyroid function have all come back normal.

i think that's about all the info i know so far. endo is suggesting having the whole thyroid removed to be safe and then they can check all the tissue once they get it out and confirm whether there is anything cancerous.

the difficulty is i am pregnant at the moment and still have about 4 months to go until bub is born. endo has advised i should wait until 6 months after the birth to have surgery for the thyroid issue. although the chances look good in terms of everything turning out ok, it is a bit scary to have to wait 10 months to find out. if there was something nasty in there, i wonder if it will be detrimental to wait this long.

i am in the early stages of investigating and discussing with doctors so i will hopefully get more clarity on all these issues soon.

please share if you have any thoughts. : )


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

shutterbug said:


> hello. i was just wondering if anyone may have had similar results/experience to what i've had discovered recently.
> 
> i've had blood tests, plus an ultrasound and fna on a thyroid nodule and the doctor has advised me of the following:
> - there's a dominant nodule large in size (5.4cm) on the left side of my thyroid plus more small nodules (less than 1cm each) on the right side of my thyroid
> ...


Well; I certainly agree that you should have the gland extricated at which point pathology will give it a good going over. Not worth taking a chance.

I found this; apparently, the kind you have is slow growing.

Papillary and follicular cancers are referred to as "well differentiated" thyroid cancers. These cancers account for about 90% of thyroid cancers and are usually associated with the best outcomes mainly because they tend to grow very slowly particularly in young patients (see the separate sections on papillary and follicular thyroid cancers for additional details). Anaplastic cancer is often called "undifferentiated" because it least resembles the normal thyroid tissue.

Please go here and read entire article.....
http://www.cumc.columbia.edu/dept/thyroid/risks.html

I think if there are co-operative efforts between all your doctors at this time and if you are judiciously monitored, you probably will be fine.

Now..........this chapter is specifically for pregnant women so once again.........I suggest you read it.

Excerpt.........

Diagnostic evaluation of a thyroid nodule in pregnancy
Diagnostic evaluation of thyroid nodules discovered during pregnancy should be similar to that of non-pregnant patients, but the ongoing pregnancy raises an additional concern regarding timing of surgical management 420-424. The diagnosis and decision-making for overall management of a nodule diagnosed in pregnancy relies primarily on the results of thyroid ultrasound and fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB). Despite the fact that a minority of nodules are potentially malignant, the fear of cancer may be accentuated in pregnant women. Therefore, diagnostic investigation using FNAB is recommended in most pregnant women. A number of studies have suggested that a delay in the work-up of a nodule until after delivery causes no change in final prognosis as compared with surgical resection of a malignant lesion in the second trimester 422, 425. Knowing the diagnosis via FNAB cytology is, however, often helpful to the mother in planning the postpartum period, including decisions regarding breast-feeding and the potential need for adjunctive therapy with radioiodine after surgical removal of a cancer. Furthermore, a delay in surgical treatment of thyroid cancer beyond a one-year period is not recommended because of increased likelihood of cancer complications 421.

Link to the entire chapter....
http://www.thyroidmanager.org/Chapter14/14-frame.htm

This is all presuming that you do have cancer but to date, we are not certain and I sure do hope not. However, your FNA is suspicious.

Congratulations on your pregnancy. That is wonderful news!


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## shutterbug (Dec 30, 2009)

Thanks so much for your reply, I really appreciate it - those are really good articles. I think the best thing I can do now is make sure I push the doctors to keep a really close eye on things. My next appointment with the endocrynologist is in about 4 weeks so I'll see how that goes. Thanks again for your reply. In the meantime, I've got to just try and focus on the excitement of my first bub coming soon : )


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

shutterbug said:


> Thanks so much for your reply, I really appreciate it - those are really good articles. I think the best thing I can do now is make sure I push the doctors to keep a really close eye on things. My next appointment with the endocrynologist is in about 4 weeks so I'll see how that goes. Thanks again for your reply. In the meantime, I've got to just try and focus on the excitement of my first bub coming soon : )


You are most welcome. Thyroid Manager is peer reviewed and used by the medical establishment. Very very credible site. Book mark it.

You are correct; staying on top of things for the next few months is the thing to do here. After the birth of your precious child, everything can be reassessed and a game plan put in place.

Stick around when you have the time; you will learn a lot.


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