Associations between Bethesda categories and tumor characteristics of conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma

• Main Authors: Vivian Youngjean Park, Eun-Kyung Kim, Jin Young Kwak, Jung Hyun Yoon, Hee Jung Moon
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Korean Society of Ultrasound in Medicine 2018-10-01
• Series: Ultrasonography
• Subjects: Thyroid nodule; Biopsy, fine-needle; Thyroid cancer, papillary; Ultrasonography
• Online Access: http://www.e-ultrasonography.org/upload/usg-17053.pdf

Purpose The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of Bethesda categories III, V, and VI with the clinical and pathological features of thyroid nodules surgically confirmed as conventional papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). Methods We analyzed 1,990 consecutive patients diagnosed with conventional PTC at surgery with preoperative Bethesda categories III, V, or VI. We determined the odds ratio (ORs) of the clinical and pathological variables associated with categories III and V, using category VI as the reference. Results Category III and V PTCs had a smaller pathological tumor size (OR, 0.934 and OR, 0.969, respectively) and less frequently had central lymph node metastasis (OR, 0.487 and OR, 0.780, respectively) than category VI PTCs. Category III PTCs less frequently showed suspicious ultrasonographic features (OR, 0.296) than category VI PTCs, and category V PTCs less frequently had gross extrathyroidal extension, with borderline significance (OR, 0.643; P=0.059). Conclusion Conventional PTCs with a preoperative Bethesda category of III or V may less frequently exhibit poor prognostic factors than those with malignant cytology.