Conventional US, elastography, and contrast enhanced US features of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma predict central compartment lymph node metastases

Additional diagnostic value of ratio indices of quantitative contrast-enhanced ultrasound parameters in small solid C-TIRADS 4 thyroid nodules

Background

To investigate the efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) parameters, particularly ratio indices of quantitative CEUS parameters, for differentiation of small solid C-TIRADS 4 thyroid nodules.

Materials and methods

235 small solid C-TIRADS 4 thyroid nodules with determinate pathological results, including 175 nodules in the training cohort and 60 nodules in the validation cohort were retrospectively evaluated. The ratio indices of the internal tissue to peripheral tissue and the internal tissue to healthy tissue of quantitative parameters were calculated. In the training cohort, the meaningful quantitative ratio indices with an AUC > 0.7 and qualitative parameters were further included in multivariate regression analysis. The diagnostic efficacy of the logistic model was evaluated.

Results

In single-factor analysis, C-TIRADS, enhancement degree, mTTI ratio (L/P), TTP ratio (L/P), WiR ratio (L/P), WoR ratio (L/P) and TTP ratio (L/H) were significant parameters for differentiation of thyroid nodules (P < 0.05). The multifactor analysis showed that there was significant difference in C-TIRADS, mTTI ratio (L/P), TTP ratio (L/P), WiR ratio (L/P), WoR ratio (L/P) and TTP ratio (L/H) between two groups (P < 0.05). The logistic model was generated, and the AUC, sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of the training cohort were 0.935(95% CI: 0.888-0.967),85.71%, 88.57%, and 86.86%, respectively. The logistic model demonstrated significantly higher diagnostic performance compared to individual parameters (P < 0.001). In the validation cohort, the diagnostic model had an AUC of 0.910,sensitivity of 87.9%, specificity of 92.6%, and accuracy of 90.25%.

Conclusion

Ratio indices of quantitative parameters have high diagnostic values in differentiating small solid thyroid nodules. Combining C-TIRADS with both qualitative and quantitative CEUS parameters enhances the diagnostic accuracy of malignant thyroid nodules.

Enhancing prediction of cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma through nodule-oriented quantification: combined S-Detect and ultrasound elastography

Background

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) frequently metastasizes to cervical lymph nodes (LNs), with metastasis rates of 20-90%, significantly impacting patient prognosis. Although ultrasound (US) is the primary preoperative assessment tool, its accuracy (Acc) in detecting LN metastasis (LNM) remains insufficient, with conventional US detecting only 50% of confirmed cases. This study aimed to improve the prediction of cervical LNM in PTC by combining quantitative nodule orientation parameters with multi-modal US techniques.

Methods

Data were retrospectively collected from 117 patients (141 nodules: 85 non-metastasis and 56 metastasis) who underwent PTC resection and cervical LN dissection from September 2023 to May 2024. All patients underwent US, US elastography (UE), and S-Detect examinations before surgery. For each nodule, the angle between the nodule's maximum diameter and the skin was measured. Logistic regression analysis assessed the correlation between each variable and cervical LNM, identified significant predictive factors, and a predictive model presented as a nomogram was constructed.

Results

Univariate analysis showed significant differences between non-metastasis and metastasis groups in orientation quantification [-9.3° (-35.2°, 17.2°) vs. 13.9° (-1.6°, 54.0°), P<0.001], age (P=0.002), maximum nodule diameter (P=0.017), boundary (P=0.021), microcalcifications on S-Detect (P=0.014), microcalcifications (P=0.036), and ECI scores (P=0.043). Multivariate analysis identified seven independent predictors for cervical LNM, with S-Detect-detected microcalcifications showing the highest odds ratio (OR) [OR =4.159; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.545-11.199]. The combined predictive model incorporating conventional US, UE, S-Detect, and orientation quantification demonstrated superior diagnostic performance [area under the curve (AUC) =0.861; 95% CI: 0.803-0.919] compared to individual models (P<0.001), achieving sensitivity (Sen) of 0.911 and specificity (Spe) of 0.659. The nomogram showed good calibration with no significant deviation (χ2=3.271; P=0.926).

Conclusions

S-Detect accurately identifies the direction of the maximum diameter of thyroid nodules, and quantification of the longitudinal section orientation can be used as an independent predictor for LNM in PTC.

Predictive Values of Clinical Features and Multimodal Ultrasound for Central Lymph Node Metastases in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the predominant pathological type among thyroid malignancies, is responsible for the sharp increase in thyroid cancer. Although PTC is an indolent tumor with good prognosis, 60-70% of patients still have early cervical lymph node metastasis, typically in the central compartment. Whether there is central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) or not directly affects the formulation of preoperative surgical procedures, given that such metastases have been tied to compromised overall survival and local recurrence. However, detecting CLNM before operation can be challenging due to the limited sensitivity of preoperative approaches. Prophylactic central lymph node dissection (PCLND) in the absence of clinical evidence of CLNM poses additional surgical risks. This study aims to provide a comprehensive review of the risk factors related to CLNM in PTC patients. A key focus is on utilizing multimodal ultrasound (US) for accurate prognosis of preoperative CLNM and to highlight the distinctive role of US-based characteristics for predicting CLNM.

Application of color doppler ultrasound and US shear wave elastography with connective tissue growth factor in the risk assessment of papillary thyroid carcinoma

BACKGROUND

This study aims to investigate the role of shear wave elastography (SWE) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in the assessment of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) prognosis.

METHODS

CTGF expression was detected with immunohistochemistry. Clinical and pathological data were collected. Parameters of conventional ultrasound combined with SWE were also collected. The relationship among CTGF expression, ultrasound indicators, the elastic modulus and the clinicopathological parameters were analyzed.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis showed that patients with high risk of PTC were characterized with male, Uygur ethnicity, increased expression of CTGF, convex lesions, calcified, incomplete capsule, intranodular blood flow, rear echo attenuation, cervical lymph node metastasis, lesions larger than 1 cm, psammoma bodies, advanced clinical stage, increased TSH and high value in the shear modulus (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the risk factors of high expression of CTGF according to contribution size order were irregular shape, aspect ratio ≥ 1, and increased TSH. The logistic regression model equation was Logit (P) = 1.153 + 1.055 × 1 + 0.926 × 2 + 1.190 × 3 and the Area Under Curve value of the logistic regression was calculated to be 0.850, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.817 to 0.883.

CONCLUSION

SWE and CTGF are of great value in the risk assessment of PTC. The degree of fibrosis of PTC is closely related to the prognosis. The hardness of PTC lesions and the expression level of CTGF are correlated with the main indexes of conventional ultrasound differentiating benign or malignant nodules. Irregular shape, aspect ratio ≥ 1, and increased TSH are independent factors of CTGF.

Score based on contrast-enhanced ultrasound predict central lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid cancer

Objectives

To investigate the association between contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) features of PTC and central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) and to develop a predictive model for the preoperative identification of CLNM.

Methods

This retrospective study evaluated 750 consecutive patients with PTC from August 2020 to April 2023. Conventional ultrasound and qualitative CEUS features were analyzed for the PTC with or without CLNM using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. A nomogram integrating the predictors was constructed to identify CLNM in PTC. The predictive nomogram was validated using a validation cohort.

Results

A total of 684 patients were enrolled. The 495 patients in training cohort were divided into two groups according to whether they had CLNM (pCLNM, n= 191) or not (nCLNM, n= 304). There were significant differences in terms of tumor size, shape, echogenic foci, enhancement direction, peak intensity, and score based on CEUS TI-RADS between the two groups. Independent predictive US features included irregular shape, larger tumor size (≥ 1.0cm), and score. Nomogram integrating these predictive features showed good discrimination and calibration in both training and validation cohort with an AUC of 0.72 (95% CI: 0.68, 0.77) and 0.79 (95% CI: 0.72, 0.85), respectively. In the subgroup with larger tumor size, age ≤ 35 years, irregular shape, and score > 6 were independent risk factors for CLNM.

Conclusion

The score based on preoperative CEUS features of PTC may help to identify CLNM. The nomogram developed in this study provides a convenient and effective tool for clinicians to determine an optimal treatment regimen for patients with PTC.

Subcentimetric Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: Does the Diagnosis Kind Impact Prognosis?

INTRODUCTION

Subcentimetric papillary thyroid carcinoma (SPTC) (papillary thyroid carcinoma with less than 10 mm in size) usually presents an excellent prognosis, with few aggressive reported cases. Given the globally increased incidence of SPTC, physicians are struggling with the need to identify prognostic factors to stratify SPTC. The aim was to compare clinicopathological variables and prognosis between clinically and incidentally diagnosed SPTC. Materials and methodsː This is a retrospective observational study on patients with SPTC who underwent thyroidectomy between 2002 and 2015. Two groups were considered: G1 (n=60 (61.9%)), clinical diagnosis (Bethesda III-VI cytology in the thyroid tumor/in cervical lymphadenopathies) and G2 (n=37 (38.1%)), incidental diagnosis (thyroidectomy for benign thyroid pathology). The histological material was reviewed, and molecular analysis of the BRAF, RAS, and TERT promoter (TERTp) genes was performed. Resultsː Ninety-seven individuals were included, 60 (61.9%) of which were from G1, with a predominance of female sex (n=83 (85.6%)). Individuals of G1 were younger (53.0±14.2 versus 59.3±13.9 years; p=0.035), were more frequently treated with 131-iodine (39.2% versus 13.4%; p=0.007), had the largest diameter (8 (p25-p75: 7-9) versus 5 (p25-p75: 4-6.5) mm; p<0.001), and higher frequency of minimal extracapsular invasion (45% versus 24.3%; p=0.041). Increased tumor size was the only independent predictor of a clinical diagnosis (p<0.001). Conclusionsː Clinically and incidentally diagnosed SPTC showed excellent medium- to long-term prognosis. A larger SPTC was more likely a driver of clinical detection than a marker of tumor aggressiveness, but caution should be taken as contradictory data persists.

Can pre-operative ultrasound elastography predict aggressive features of solitary papillary thyroid carcinoma?

OBJECTIVE

To investigate whether pre-operative ultrasound elastography (USE) can be used to predict aggressive features of solitary papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs).

METHODS

Clinical and USE indices were retrospectively analyzed in 487 patients with surgically confirmed solitary PTCs. The patients were grouped per aggressive features on pathologic testing. Univariate and binary logistic regression analyses were performed to explore independent risk factors of aggressive features.

RESULTS

Univariate analysis revealed standard deviation (SD) values of the tumor shear-wave velocity (SWV) were associated with capsular invasion (p < 0.05). Further, shear-wave elasticity and SWV ratios correlated with extrathyroidal extension (all p < 0.05). The tumor shear-wave elasticity and SWV SD values were associated with cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) (all p < 0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis identified location and capsule contact as independent predictive risk factors for capsular invasion (all p < 0.05); size for extrathyroidal extension (all p < 0.05); and sex, age, margin, and suspected CLNM for CLNM (all p < 0.05). However, pre-operational USE indexes were not independent predictors of aggressive features (all p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

Pre-operative USE indices were not independent risk factors of aggressive features of solitary PTCs. Thus, USE may have a limited value for predicting the aggressive features of PTC.

ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE

Pre-operative USE indices may have a limited value for predicting the aggressive features of PTC.

The possibilities of ultrasound imaging in the diagnosis of follicular neoplasia of the thyroid gland

Thyroid cancer is the most common cancer of the endocrine system. The diagnosis of thyroid cancer has taken a step forward due to the introduction of fine-needle biopsy of the thyroid gland with subsequent evaluation of cytological material using the Bethesda system. One category of this classification traditionally remains a gray area of diagnosis. The detection of a follicular tumor in the cytological material (category IV according to Bethesda) does not allow one to reliably classify the neoplasia as benign or malignant and requires surgical intervention. The traditional informative and widely used method for diagnosing thyroid tumors is ultrasound. However, the sensitivity and specificity of the method varies over a wide range. This review analyzes the literature on the possibilities of ultrasound diagnostics in assessing the malignant potential of follicular tumors of the thyroid gland.

The effect of central lymph node dissection on the prognosis of cN0 papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: a mid-term follow-up study

BACKGROUND

To investigate the effect of central lymph node dissection on the prognosis of patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) without clinical lymph node metastasis (cN0).

METHODS

According to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 462 patients with cN0 PTMC underwent surgery in the Second Department of General Surgery, Zhongshan City People's Hospital from January 1, 2007, to June 31, 2017. They were divided into two groups: the undissection group (262 cases) and the dissection group (170 cases). A comparison was made between the two groups in terms of postoperative complications, recurrences, metastases, etc., as well aslymph node metastasis risk factors in the central region of cN0 PTMC.

RESULTS

There was no lymphatic leakage or death in all patients after the operation. In the dissection group, 64 cases (37.6%) of central lymph node metastasis were found after the postoperative pathological examination. The undissection group was followed up for (92 ± 28.7) months, and the dissection group was followed up for (86 ± 25.4) months (t=-2.165, P = 0.031). In the two groups, there were no lung metastases, bone metastases, or other distant metastases during the follow-up period. In the undissection group, there were 7 cases, while in the dissection group, there were just 2. Recurrence rates between the two groups did not differ significantly (χ2 = 0.126, P = 0.169); Similarly, disease-free survival curves did not differ significantly (χ2 = 2.565, P = 0.708). Hypoparathyroidism and Hypocalcemia also had no difference between the group. In comparison to the undissection group, the capsular invasion rate (P = 0.026), calcification rate(P < 0.001) incidence of postoperative hoarseness (P = 0.017), and hand and foot numbness rate (P < 0.001) were all considerably greater in the dissection group. Multivariate research revealed that capsular invasion (OR = 9.42, P = 0.002), multifocal (OR = 24.57, P < 0.001), and tumor diameter > 5 mm (OR = 5.46, P = 0.019) were the independent risk factors for central lymph node metastasis in cN0 PTMC.

CONCLUSIONS

Thyroidectomy alone is safe for cN0 PTMC, but longer-term follow-up is still required for changes in central lymph nodes. For cN0 PTMC patients with tumor diameter > 5 mm, multifocal, and capsular invasion, central lymph node metastasis is more likely to occur. Comprehensive evaluation and individualized and precise treatment are essential.

Clinical-Radiomics Nomogram Based on Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound for Preoperative Prediction of Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

This study aimed to establish a new clinical-radiomics nomogram based on ultrasound (US) for cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM) in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). We collected 211 patients with PTC between June 2018 and April 2020, then we randomly divided these patients into the training set (n = 148) and the validation set (n = 63). 837 radiomics features were extracted from B-mode ultrasound (BMUS) images and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) images. The maximum relevance minimum redundancy (mRMR) algorithm, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) algorithm, and backward stepwise logistic regression (LR) were applied to select key features and establish a radiomics score (Radscore), including BMUS Radscore and CEUS Radscore. The clinical model and clinical-radiomics model were established using the univariate analysis and multivariate backward stepwise LR. The clinical-radiomics model was finally presented as a clinical-radiomics nomogram, the performance of which was evaluated by the receiver operating characteristic curves, Hosmer-Lemeshow test, calibration curves, and decision curve analysis (DCA). The results show that the clinical-radiomics nomogram was constructed by four predictors, including gender, age, US-reported LNM, and CEUS Radscore. The clinical-radiomics nomogram performed well in both the training set (AUC = 0.820) and the validation set (AUC = 0.814). The Hosmer-Lemeshow test and the calibration curves demonstrated good calibration. The DCA showed that the clinical-radiomics nomogram had satisfactory clinical utility. The clinical-radiomics nomogram constructed by CEUS Radscore and key clinical features can be used as an effective tool for individualized prediction of cervical LNM in PTC.

A model based on clinical data and multi-modal ultrasound for predicting cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with thyroid papillary carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to explore diagnostic performance based on clinical characteristics, conventional ultrasound, Angio PLUS (AP), shear wave elastography (SWE), and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) for the preoperative evaluation of cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and to find a reliable predictive model for evaluating CLNM.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A total of 206 thyroid nodules in 206 patients were included. AP, SWE, and CEUS were performed for all thyroid nodules. Univariate analysis and multivariate logistic regression analysis were performed to ascertain the independent risk factors. The sensitivity, specificity, and the area under the curve (AUC) of independent risk factors and the diagnostic model were compared.

RESULTS

Sex, age, nodule size, multifocality, contact extent with adjacent thyroid capsule, Emax, and capsule integrity at CEUS were independent risk predictors for CLNM in patients with PTC. A predictive model was established based on the following multivariate logistic regression: Logit (p) = -2.382 + 1.452 × Sex - 1.064 × Age + 1.338 × Size + 1.663 × multifocality + 1.606 × contact extent with adjacent thyroid capsule + 1.717 × Emax + 1.409 × capsule integrity at CEUS. The AUC of the predictive model was 0.887 (95% CI: 0.841-0.933), which was significantly higher than using independent risk predictors alone.

CONCLUSION

Our study found that male presence, age < 45 years, size ≥ 10 mm, multifocality, contact extent with adjacent thyroid capsule > 25%, Emax ≥ 48.4, and interrupted capsule at CEUS were independent risk predictors for CLNM in patients with PTC. We developed a diagnostic model for predicting CLNM, which could be a potentially useful and accurate method for clinicians; it might be beneficial to surgical decision-making and patient management and for improving prognosis.

Quantitative analysis of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with ultrasound in the unifocal papillary thyroid micro-carcinoma

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate diagnostic value of ultrasound (US) combined with contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the invasiveness of unifocal papillary thyroid micro-carcinoma (UPTMC) without capsule-invasion.

METHODS

This retrospective study included data from patients with UPTMC who received US and CEUS examinations in the Ultrasound Department of the Central Hospital of Changsha, China between June 2019 and September 2021. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to evaluate the risk of US and CEUS parameters for UPTMC. Diagnostic performance was estimated by ROC analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 136 cases were enrolled, including invasive UPTMC (n = 47) and non-invasive UPTMC (n = 89), which were divided into test set (n = 109) and validation set (n = 27). The occurrence of microcalcification and the ratios (R) of each time-intensity curve (TIC) of CEUS parameter were significantly higher in patients with invasive UTPMC than non-invasive UPTMC (all P < 0.05). Additionally, nodular diameter was significantly longer in the invasive group (P < 0.05). Multivariate analysis showed that microcalcification (OR = 2.917, 95% CI: 1.002-8.491, P = 0.050), R-TTP > 1 (OR = 3.376, 95%CI: 1.267-8.994, P = 0.015), R-DS > 1 (OR = 6.558, 95% CI: 2.358-18.243, P < 0.010) were independently associated with invasive UPTMC. The sensitivities of US, CEUS and their combined application were 82.1%, 46.2% and 79.5%, respectively, and their specificities were 37.1%, 88.6% and 61.4%, respectively. The combination of the two methods had the best diagnostic efficiency (AUC=0.775)compared to US (AUC = 0.596) and CEUS (AUC = 0.750).

CONCLUSION

The combination of US and CEUS might have good diagnostic value for UPTMC with capsule non-invasion.

Nomogram for preoperative estimation risk of cervical lymph node metastasis in medullary thyroid carcinoma

Objectives

Cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) is common in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), but how to manage cervical lymph node involvement of clinically negative MTC is still controversial. This study evaluated the preoperative features and developed an ultrasound (US)-based nomogram to preoperatively predict the CLNM of MTC.

Materials and methods

A total of 74 patients with histologically confirmed MTC were included in this retrospective study and assigned to the CLNM-positive group and CLNM-negative group based on the pathology. The associations between CLNM and preoperative clinical and sonographic characteristics (size, location, solid component, shape, margin, echogenicity, calcification, and extracapsular invasion of the tumor) were evaluated by the use of univariable and multivariable logistic regression analysis. A nomogram to predict the risk of the CLNM of MTC was built and assessed in terms of discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness.

Results

The nomogram was based on three factors (tumor margin, US-reported suspicious lymph node, and extracapsular invasion US features) and exhibited good discrimination with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.919 (95% CI, 0.856-0.932). The calibration curves of the nomogram displayed a good agreement between the probability as predicted by the nomogram and the actual CLNM incidence.

Conclusions

We constructed and validated a US-based nomogram to predict the risk of CLNM in MTC patients, which can be easily evaluated before surgery. This model is helpful for clinical decision-making.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound characteristics of preoperative central cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma

This study evaluated the preoperative diagnostic value of lymph node ultrasonography in distinguishing between benign and malignant central cervical lymph nodes (CCLNs) in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). A total of 176 patients who had PTC with 216 CCLNs (49 benign and 155 malignant) were enrolled in this study and preoperatively imaged by ultrasonography, including conventional ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). We evaluated the ultrasonography parameters for each lymph node. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that multifocality of PTC and the absence of Hashimoto's thyroiditis are independent clinical features related to patients with PTC who also have malignant CCLNs. For preoperative ultrasonography features, heterogeneous enhancement and centripetal perfusion are independent ultrasonographic features to identify malignant and benign CCLNs. This study demonstrated that preoperative CEUS characteristics help to distinguish malignant CCLNs from benign CCLNs.

Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma with contralateral large humerus metastasis and cervical lymph node metastasis: A case report

Introduction

Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) that metastasizes to bone, especially metastasizes to contralateral humerus with so large mass, is rarely reported before.

Case report

We presented a 50-year-old female patient with a large painful mass in the right humerus for 5 years, presenting with swelling of the right shoulder with limited mobility. Positron emission tomography–computed tomography (PET/CT) showed a large mass in the right humerus, bilateral lung lesions, and enlarged lymph nodes in the right supraclavicular fossa. Right humerus lesion biopsy and immunohistochemical evaluations confirmed that the lesion originated from the thyroid tissue. Then, the thyroid ultrasonography showed a hypo-echoic solid nodule with an irregular taller-than-wide shape in the upper of left thyroid lobe and enlarged lymph nodes with the absence of fatty hilum in the contralateral right IV compartment. The total thyroidectomy and cervical lymph node dissection were undertaken; the histopathology confirmed the diagnosis of PTMC with contralateral cervical lymph node metastasis.

Conclusion

We reported a case of PTMC with contralateral large humerus and cervical lymph node metastasis and demonstrated the PET/CT images of the metastatic large humerus and thyroid ultrasonographic appearances of the PTMC and enlarged cervical lymph node.

Integrating BRAFV600E mutation, ultrasonic and clinicopathologic characteristics for predicting the risk of cervical central lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Background

The advantages of prophylactic central lymph node dissection (CLND) for clinically node-negative patients remained a great deal of controversies. Our research was aimed to analyze the relationship between cervical central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) and BRAF^V600E mutation, ultrasonic and clinicopathologic characterizes in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

Methods and materials

In current study, a total of 112 consecutive PTC patients who experienced thyroidectomy plus cervical central neck dissection were included in our research. All PTC were pre-operatively analyzed by ultrasonic features, including tumor size, multifocality or not, tumor location, internal components, echogenicity, microcalcification, margins, orientation, taller than wide shape, and internal vascularity. The presence of clinicopathologic factors, including age, sex, T stage, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, and BRAF^V600E mutation was then investigated. Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted to check into the relationship between predictive factors and cervical CLNM in PTC patients, and then a predictive model was also established.

Results

Pathologically, 58.0% (65/112) of the PTC patients harbored cervical CLNM. Univariate and multivariate analysis were conducted to identify age < 55 years, tumor size > 10 mm, microcalcification, non-concomitant Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and BRAF^V600E mutation were predictive factors for cervical CLNM in PTC. The risk score for cervical CLNM in PTC patients was calculated: risk score = 1.284 × (if age < 55 years) + 1.241 × (if tumor size > 10 mm) + 1.143 × (if microcalcification) – 2.097 × (if concomitant Hashimoto’s thyroiditis) + 1.628 × (if BRAF^V600E mutation).

Conclusion

Age < 55 years old, PTC > 10 mm, microcalcification, non-concomitant Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and BRAF^V600E mutation are predictive factors for cervical CLNM. BRAF^V600E mutation by pre-operative US-FNA technology synergized with clinicopathologic and ultrasonic features is expected to guide the appropriate surgical management for PTC patients.

Diagnosis of Thyroid Nodules Based on Image Enhancement and Deep Neural Networks

The diagnosis of thyroid nodules at an early stage is a challenging task. Manual diagnosis of thyroid nodules is labor-intensive and time-consuming. Meanwhile, due to the difference of instruments and technical personnel, the original thyroid nodule ultrasound images collected are very different. In order to make better use of ultrasound image information of thyroid nodules, some image processing methods are indispensable. In this paper, we developed a method for automatic thyroid nodule classification based on image enhancement and deep neural networks. The selected image enhancement method is histogram equalization, and the neural networks have four-layer network nodes in our experiments. The dataset in this paper consists of thyroid nodule images of 508 patients. The data are divided into 80% training and 20% validation sets. A comparison result demonstrates that our method can achieve a better performance than other normal machine learning methods. The experimental results show that our method has achieved 0.901961 accuracy, 0.894737 precision, 1 recall, and 0.944444 F1-score. At the same time, we also considered the influence of network structure, activation function of network nodes, number of training iterations, and other factors on the classification results. The experimental results show that the optimal network structure is 2500-40-2-1, the optimal activation function is logistic function, and the best number of training iterations is 500.

Risk Stratification of Thyroid Nodules: From Ultrasound Features to TIRADS

Simple Summary

Thyroid nodules are a frequent clinical issue. Their incidence has increased mainly due to the widespread use of neck ultrasound scans. Most thyroid nodules are asymptomatic, incidentally discovered, and benign at cytology. Thyroid ultrasound is the most sensitive diagnostic tool to evaluate patients with nodular thyroid disease. It is therefore important to use the ultrasound features to select nodules that require a fine-needle aspiration cytology.

Abstract

Thyroid nodules are common in iodine deficient areas, in females, and in patients undergoing neck irradiation. High-resolution ultrasonography (US) is important for detecting and evaluating thyroid nodules. US is used to determine the size and features of thyroid nodules, as well as the presence of neck lymph node metastasis. It also facilitates guided fine-needle aspiration (US-FNA). The most consistent US malignancy features of thyroid nodules are spiculated margins, microcalcifications, a taller-than-wide shape, and marked hypoechogenicity. Increased nodular vascularization is not identified as a predictor of malignancy. Thyroid elastosonography (USE) is also used to characterize thyroid nodules. In fact, a low elasticity of nodules at USE has been related to a higher risk of malignancy. According to their US features, thyroid nodules can be stratified into three categories: low-, intermediate-, and high-risk nodules. US-FNA is suggested for intermediate and high-risk nodules.

Analysis of the Relevance of the Ultrasonographic Features of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis on Conventional and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography

Background

Preoperative prediction of lymph node metastases has a major impact on prognosis and recurrence for patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Thyroid ultrasonography is the preferred inspection to guide the appropriate diagnostic procedure.

Purpose

To investigate the relationship between PTC and cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM, including central and lateral LNM) using both conventional ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS).

Material and Methods

Our study retrospectively analyzed 379 patients diagnosed with PTC confirmed by surgical pathology at our hospital who underwent US and CEUS examinations from October 2016 to March 2021. Individuals were divided into two groups: the lymph node metastasis group and the nonmetastasis group. The relationship between US and CEUS characteristics of PTC and CLNM was analyzed. Univariate and multivariable logistic regression methods were used to identify the high-risk factors and established a nomogram to predict CLNM in PTC. Furthermore, we explore the frequency of CLNM at each nodal level in PTC patients.

Results

Univariate analysis indicated that there were significant differences in gender, age, tumor size, microcalcification, contact with the adjacent capsule, multifocality, capsule integrity and enhancement patterns in CEUS between the lymph node metastasis group and the nonmetastasis group (all P<0.05). Multivariate regression analysis showed that tumor size ≥1 cm, age ≤45 years, multifocality, and contact range of the adjacent capsule >50% were independent risk factors for CLNM in PTC, which determined the nomogram. The diagnostic model had an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.756 (95% confidence interval, 0.707-0.805). And calibration plot analysis shown that clinical utility of the nomogram. In 162 PTC patients, the metastatic rates of cervical lymph nodes at levels I-VI were 1.9%, 15.4%, 35.2%, 34.6%, 15.4%, 82.1%, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.001).

Conclusion

Our study indicated that the characteristics of PTC on ultrasonography and CEUS can be used to predict CLNM as a useful tool. Preoperative analysis of ultrasonographical features has important value for predicting CLNM in PTCs. The risk of CLNM is greater when tumor size ≥1 cm, age ≤45 years, multifocality, contact range of the adjacent capsule >50% are present.

Value of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Differentiating Clinically Atypical Subacute Thyroiditis from Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas

Our objective was to provide the various sonographic characteristics of clinically atypical subacute thyroiditis (CAST) in distinguishing CAST from papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) by using conventional ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Forty-six CAST patients and 50 PTC patients were enrolled in this study. We evaluated the size, shape, margin, echogenicity, calcification, vascularity and CEUS parameters for each nodule. The final diagnosis of CAST was confirmed via fine-needle aspiration (FNA) or surgery. Of the 46 CASTs, 13 (28.3%) were confirmed by surgery to be benign, and 33 (71.7%) were proven by FNA to be benign. Univariate analysis indicated that compared with PTCs, CAST lesions more frequently had wider-than-taller shapes, blurred margins, the absence of microcalcifications, peripheral high echogenicity, the absence of internal vascularity, hypo-enhancement, centrifugal perfusion and a peak intensity index <1 and area under the curve index <1 on pre-operative US and CEUS. A multivariate analysis revealed that clear margins, microcalcifications and centripetal perfusion were independent characteristics related to PTCs for their differentiation from CAST (all p values <0.05). Our study indicated that the pre-operative multiparameter US characteristics may serve as a useful tool for distinguishing CAST from malignant thyroid nodules to avoid surgical excisions or unnecessary FNAs.

Performance of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Thyroid Nodules: Review of Current State and Future Perspectives

Ultrasound has been established as a baseline imaging technique for thyroid nodules. The main advantage of adding CEUS is the ability to assess the sequence and intensity of vascular perfusion and hemodynamics in the thyroid nodule, thus providing real-time characterization of nodule features, considered a valuable new approach in the determination of benign vs. malignant nodules. Original studies, reviews and six meta-analyses were included in this article. A total of 624 studies were retrieved, and 107 were included in the study. As recognized for thyroid nodule malignancy risk stratification by US, for acceptable accuracy in malignancy a combination of several CEUS parameters should be applied: hypo-enhancement, heterogeneous, peripheral irregular enhancement in combination with internal enhancement patterns, and slow wash-in and wash-out curve lower than in normal thyroid tissue. In contrast, homogeneous, intense enhancement with smooth rim enhancement and "fast-in and slow-out" are indicative of the benignity of the thyroid nodule. Even though overlapping features require standardization, with further research, CEUS may achieve reliable performance in detecting or excluding thyroid cancer. It can also play an operative role in guiding ablation procedures of benign and malignant thyroid nodules and metastatic lymph nodes, and providing accurate follow-up imaging to assess treatment efficacy.

Radiogenomic Analysis of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma for Prediction of Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis: A Preliminary Study

Background

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is characterized by frequent metastases to cervical lymph nodes (CLNs), and the presence of lymph node metastasis at diagnosis has a significant impact on the surgical approach. Therefore, we established a radiomic signature to predict the CLN status of PTC patients using preoperative thyroid ultrasound, and investigated the association between the radiomic features and underlying molecular characteristics of PTC tumors.

Methods

In total, 270 patients were enrolled in this prospective study, and radiomic features were extracted according to multiple guidelines. A radiomic signature was built with selected features in the training cohort and validated in the validation cohort. The total protein extracted from tumor samples was analyzed with LC/MS and iTRAQ technology. Gene modules acquired by clustering were chosen for their diagnostic significance. A radiogenomic map linking radiomic features to gene modules was constructed with the Spearman correlation matrix. Genes in modules related to metastasis were extracted for Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analyses, and a protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was built to identify the hub genes in the modules. Finally, the screened hub genes were validated by immunohistochemistry analysis.

Results

The radiomic signature showed good performance for predicting CLN status in training and validation cohorts, with area under curve of 0.873 and 0.831 respectively. A radiogenomic map was created with nine significant correlations between radiomic features and gene modules, and two of them had higher correlation coefficient. Among these, MEmeganta representing the upregulation of telomere maintenance via telomerase and cell-cell adhesion was correlated with ‘Rectlike’ and ‘deviation ratio of tumor tissue and normal thyroid gland’ which reflect the margin and the internal echogenicity of the tumor, respectively. MEblue capturing cell-cell adhesion and glycolysis was associated with feature ‘minimum calcification area’ which measures the punctate calcification. The hub genes of the two modules were identified by protein-protein interaction network. Immunohistochemistry validated that LAMC1 and THBS1 were differently expressed in metastatic and non-metastatic tissues (p=0.003; p=0.002). And LAMC1 was associated with feature ‘Rectlike’ and ‘deviation ratio of tumor and normal thyroid gland’ (p<0.001; p<0.001); THBS1 was correlated with ‘minimum calcification area’ (p<0.001).

Conclusions

The radiomic signature proposed here has the potential to noninvasively predict the CLN status in PTC patients. Merging imaging phenotypes with genomic data could allow noninvasive identification of the molecular properties of PTC tumors, which might support clinical decision making and personalized management.

Ultrasonographical, clinical and histopathological features of 1264 nodules with papillary thyroid carcinoma and microcarcinoma based on tumor size

Objective

We aimed to evaluate the patients diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) in terms of clinical, ultrasonographical (US) and histopathological features and their relationships with tumor size.

Methods

We retrospectively evaluated 881 patients who underwent thyroid surgery in our clinic and diagnosed with PTC histopathologically were enrolled the study. Demographic characteristics, US findings and histopathological features were evaluated.

Results

In total, 1264 nodules were identified in the 881 patients. The incidentality rates were higher in the PTMC group and also in the ≤ 5 mm group. In total multifocality rate was 32.9%, and was significantly higher in PTMC group than the PTC group. PTC and > 5 mm PTMC groups compared to PTMC and ≤ 5 mm groups respectively, were more aggresive histopathological features.

Conclusion

Since the incidentality rates were found significantly more common in our patients with PTMC and those with ≤ 5 mm, ultrasonographic features of the nodules should be evaluated carefully and for cases which are suspicious with US, US-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB) should be considered in order to make the correct treatment strategy. Also our study revealed that PTC and > 5 mm PTMC groups compared to PTMC and ≤ 5 mm groups respectively, have more aggresive histopathological features.

Correlation between Ultrasonic Features of Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma and Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis

The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that affect cervical lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in individuals with medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) in terms of ultrasonic characteristics and other parameters. Single-factor χ² analysis showed that the ultrasonic characteristics of tumor size >10 mm, unclear boundary, irregular pattern and capsular invasion, as well as pre-operative calcitonin level >302.50 pg/mL (p < 0.001) and age ≤52.50 y (p = 0.036), were risk factors for CLNM in individuals with MTC. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age ≤52.50 y (odds ratio = 3.796; 95% confidence interval, 1.010-14.259; p = 0.048), irregular pattern (odds ratio = 5.262; 95% confidence interval, 1.200-23.084; p = 0.028) and tumor size >10 mm (odds ratio = 7.789; 95% confidence interval, 1.123-54.005; p = 0.038) were independent risk factors for CLNM in individuals with MTC. Individuals with MTC aged ≤52.50 y with an irregular pattern and tumor size >10 mm were more likely to develop CLNM. In addition, those with a pre-operative calcitonin level >302.50 pg/mL were more likely to have CLNM.

Sonographic Characteristics of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma With Coexistent Hashimoto's Thyroiditis in the Preoperative Prediction of Central Lymph Node Metastasis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the usefulness of the sonographic characteristics of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT) for predicting central lymph node metastasis (CLNM). One hundred thirty-three patients who underwent thyroidectomy and central cervical lymph node dissection for PTC with coexistent HT were retrospectively analyzed. All PTCs with HT were preoperatively evaluated by ultrasound (US) regarding their nodular number, size, component, shape, margin, echogenicity, calcification, capsule contact with protrusion, vascularity and contrast enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) parameters. Univariate analysis demonstrated that patients with PTCs with HT and CLNM more frequently had age ≤ 45 years, size > 10 mm, a wider than tall shape, microcalcification, hypo-enhancement and peak intensity index < 1 than those without CLNM (all p<0.05). Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that size > 10 mm and CEUS hypo-enhancement were independent characteristics for the presence of CLNM. Our study indicated that preoperative US characteristics could offer help in predicting CLNM in PTCs with coexistent HT.

Blood-Rich Enhancement in Ultrasonography Predicts Worse Prognosis in Patients With Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) can be used to evaluate microcirculation in cancers, which in turn is associated with the biologic features and ultimately patient prognosis. We conducted a retrospective analysis to examine potential association between CEUS parameters and prognosis in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). The analysis included 306 patients who underwent CEUS prior to thyroidectomy at our center during a period from 2012 to 2019. Subjects with excellent response (ER) were compared to the non-ER group (including indeterminate response, biochemical incomplete response and structural incomplete response). During the median follow-up of 34 months, ER was observed in 195 (63.7%) subjects. The remaining 111 (36.3%) patients developed non-ER events, with distant metastasis in five (1.6%) cases. In a multivariate COX regression, non-ER event was associated with the male sex (OR = 1.83, 95%CI: 1.21-2.76) and blood-rich enhancement in CEUS (OR = 1.69, 95%CI: 1.04-2.75). Based on this finding, we developed a predictive model: high risk for developing non-ER events was defined as having both risk factors; low risk was defined as having none or only one risk. In receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis, the area under the curve was 0.59 (95%CI: 0.52-0.66). The sensitivity and specificity were 17.1 and 95.4%, respectively. The positive and negative predictive values were 67.9 and 66.9%, respectively. In conclusion, blood-rich enhancement in CEUS is associated with non-ER events after thyroidectomy in patients with PTC.

Contrast-enhanced ultrasound: a valuable modality for extracapsular extension assessment in papillary thyroid cancer

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of preoperative contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) to detect extracapsular extension (ECE) and identify the relationship between ECE and nodule enhancement patterns in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

METHODS

Patients with suspected thyroid cancer underwent ultrasound (US) and CEUS examinations. The US and CEUS features of the PTC nodules and thyroid capsule were recorded and classified individually. The accuracy of US and CEUS in detecting ECE was compared individually, and its relationship with various tumour enhancement patterns was analysed. The presence or absence of ECE and cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM) was confirmed pathologically.

RESULTS

The final dataset included 119 patients with 124 PTC nodules. Seventy-two (60.5%) of these patients with PTC had no ECE (including 38 patients with single capsule invasion), while the remaining 52 had ECE. A significant difference was found in nodules with non-capsule invasion, single capsule invasion, and ECE between the cervical LNM and non-LNM groups (p < 0.01). Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that area under the curve (AUC) of ECE for cervical LNM was higher than that of capsule invasion (71.9% vs. 49.6%). Moreover, the CEUS images acquired to detect ECE showed higher AUC values than those of US images (79.4% vs. 65.8%) (p = 0.02). Among the PTC nodules with differential enhancement, hyper-enhanced nodules had the highest incidence of capsule invasion (41.9%), while hypo-enhanced ones had a higher incidence of ECE (47.4%).

CONCLUSIONS

Compared with conventional US, CEUS is a more valuable and non-invasive imaging modality to detect ECE.

KEY POINTS

• Single capsular invasion was a poor predictor of cervical lymph node metastasis, while extracapsular extension assessments were clinically significant for predicting cervical lymph node metastasis. • CEUS is better than conventional US in detecting extracapsular extension in papillary thyroid carcinoma (AUC: 79.4% vs. 65.8%) (p = 0.02). • Among the thyroid papillary carcinoma nodules with differential enhancement, hyper-enhanced nodules had the highest incidence of single capsule invasion (41.9%), while hypo-enhanced ones had a higher incidence of ECE (47.4%).

CHD4 Predicts Aggressiveness in PTC Patients and Promotes Cancer Stemness and EMT in PTC Cells

Chromodomain-helicase-DNA-binding protein 4 (CHD4), a core subunit of the nucleosome remodeling and deacetylation (NuRD) complex is highly expressed in several cancers. However, its role in the pathogenesis and progression of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) has not been investigated. We investigated the prognostic significance of CHD4 in a large cohort of Middle Eastern PTC patients and explored the functional role of CHD4 in regulating cancer stemness and EMT in PTC cells. CHD4 overexpression was observed in 45.3% (650/1436) of PTCs, and was associated with aggressive clinico-pathological parameters and worse outcome. Functional analysis using PTC cell lines showed that forced expression of CHD4 promoted cell proliferation, spheroid growth, migration, invasion and progression of epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in PTC cells whereas its knockdown reversed the effect. Methylation of E-cadherin was associated with loss of expression in CHD4 expressing cells, while CHD4 depletion reactivated E-cadherin expression. Most importantly, knockdown of mesenchymal transcriptional factors, Snail1 or Zeb1, attenuated the spheroid growth in CHD4 expressing PTC cells, showing a potential link between EMT activation and stemness maintenance in PTC. These findings suggest that CHD4 might be a promising therapeutic target in the treatment of patients with an aggressive subtype of PTC.

A Novel Scoring System for Predicting the Metastases of Posterior Right Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Lymph Node Involvement in Patients With Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma by Preoperative Ultrasound

OBJECTIVE

Our goal was to investigate the correlation between papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) characteristics on ultrasonography and metastases of lymph nodes posterior to the right recurrent laryngeal nerve (LN-prRLN). There is still no good method for clinicians to judge whether a patient needs LN-prRLN resection before surgery, and we also wanted to establish a new scoring system to determine whether patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma require LN-prRLN resection before surgery.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

There were 482 patients with right or bilateral PTC who underwent thyroid gland resection from December 2015 to December 2017 recruited as study subjects. The relationship between the PTC characteristics on ultrasonography and the metastases of LN-prRLN was analyzed by univariate and logistic regression analyses. Based on the risk factors identified in univariate and logistic regression analysis, a nomogram-based LN-prRLN prediction model was established.

RESULT

LN-prRLN were removed from all patients, of which 79 had LN-prRLN metastasis, with a metastasis rate of 16.39%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that LN-prRLN metastasis was closely related to sex, age, blood supply, larger tumors (> 1 cm) and capsular invasion. A risk prediction model has been established and fully verified. The calibration curve used to evaluate the nomogram shows that the consistency index was 0.75 ± 0.065.

CONCLUSION

Preoperative clinical data, such as sex, age, abundant blood supply, larger tumor (> 1 cm) and capsular invasion, are positively correlated with LN-prRLN metastasis. Our scoring system can help surgeons non-invasively determine which patients should undergo LN-prRLN resection before surgery. We recommend that LN-prRLN resection should be performed when the score is above 103.1.

Value of Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound in Partially Cystic Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas

Partially cystic papillary thyroid carcinomas (PCPTCs) are rarely reported papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) and are usually misdiagnosed as benign nodules. The objective of this study was to provide the various sonographic characteristics of partially cystic thyroid nodules for differentiation between malignant and benign nodules, including those for conventional ultrasound (US) and contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS). Twenty-three PCPTC patients and 37 nodular goiter patients were enrolled in this study. We evaluated the size, cystic percentage, solid echogenicity, calcification, vascularity, and CEUS parameters for each nodule. The final diagnosis of all patients was confirmed via surgery. Univariate analysis demonstrated that compared with benign nodular goiters, PCPTCs more frequently presented with calcification, hypoechogenicity of the solid part, hypoenhancement, heterogeneous enhancement, centrifugal perfusion, peak intensity index <1, time to peak index ≥1, and area under the curve index <1 on preoperative US and CEUS. Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated that heterogeneous enhancement, centrifugal perfusion, and peak intensity index <1 are independent CEUS characteristics related to malignant PCPTCs and can be used for their differentiation from benign nodular goiters (all p < 0.05). Our study indicated that preoperative CEUS characteristics may serve as a useful tool to distinguish malignant PCPTCs from benign thyroid nodules.

Ultrasound and Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Characteristics Associated With cN1 and Microscopic pN1 in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

OBJECTIVES

Lymph node metastases (LNMs) could be stratified into clinical N1 (cN1) and microscopic pN1 (pathological N1), which bear different biological behavior and prognosis. Our study aimed to investigate the associations between LNMs and primary tumor's US (ultrasound) and CEUS (contrast-enhanced ultrasound) characteristics based on the stratification of LNMs into cN1 and microscopic pN1 in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

METHODS

From August 2019 to May 2020, 444 consecutive PTC patients who underwent preoperative neck US and CEUS evaluation were included. According to regional lymph node status, the patients were classified into cN1 group versus cN0 (clinical N0) group and microscopic pN1 group versus pN0 (pathological N0) group. For multiple PTCs, the largest one was selected for the evaluation of US, CEUS and clinical features. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine independent predictors of cN1 and microscopic pN1.

RESULTS

85 cN1 versus 359 cN0 patients and 117 microscopic pN1 versus 242 pN0 patients were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that <55-years-old (OR: 2.56 (1.08-6.04), male [OR: 2.18 (1.22-3.91)], large size [OR: 2.59 (1.71-3.92)], calcification [OR: 3.88 (1.58-9.51)], and hyper-enhancement [OR: 2.78 (1.22-6.30)] were independent risk factors of cN1, while <55-years-old [OR: 1.91 (1.04-3.51)], large size [OR: 1.56 (1.003-2.42)], multifocality [OR: 1.67 (1.04-2.66)] were independent risk factors of microscopic pN1.

CONCLUSIONS

For patients with PTC, young age, male, large size, calcification, and hyper-enhancement were independent predictors of cN1, while young age, large size and multifocality were independent predictors of microscopic pN1.

The role of multimodal ultrasonic flow imaging in Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) 4 nodules

Background

Color Doppler imaging (CDFI), contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), and superb micro-vascular imaging (SMI) are used to observe blood flow characteristics in Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) 4 nodules. The ability of these techniques to distinguish benign from malignant nodules was investigated.

Methods

A total of 75 TI-RADS 4 nodules were examined using CDFI, SMI, and CEUS. The blood flow characteristics shown by the three methods were added to the current TI-RADS classification to establish a new TI-RADS classification. The value of the three methods and the diagnostic accuracy of the new and old TI-RADS classification were compared.

Results

SMI better captured type II flow in benign nodules and type III flow in malignant nodules relative to CDFI. Malignant nodules detected with CEUS manifested mainly with hypo-enhancement, whereas benign nodules showed iso- and hyper-enhancement. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC) obtained through the aforementioned flow distribution models were 0.690 (CDFI), 0.840 (SMI), 0.910 (CEUS), and 0.903 (CEUS and SMI combined mode), respectively. The diagnostic value of CEUS was the highest. Joint inspection using SMI with CEUS showed certain advantages in sensitivity, although the overall accuracy was equal to that of CEUS alone. Except for CDFI, the AUC of the new TI-RADS classification was significantly higher than that of the old one. Perforating vessels and low enhancement were independent predictors of thyroid carcinoma.

Conclusions

Both SMI and CEUS visualized lower-velocity blood flow within TI-RADS 4 nodules. The new TI-RADS classification described here could improve diagnostic accuracy.

Value of Ultrasound Combined with Immunohistochemistry Evaluation of Central Lymph Node Metastasis for the Prognosis of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Background

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is often accompanied by cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM). The accuracy of the preoperative ultrasound diagnosis of central LNM (CLNM) is limited. LNM is a high-risk factor for local recurrence and may affect the prognosis. Factors not directly related to tumor proliferation are used for risk assessment in the tumor-node-metastasis (TNM) staging system for thyroid cancer. The present study aimed to investigate the value of ultrasound and immunohistochemistry in predicting the presence of CLNM and the prognosis of PTC.

Patients and Methods

The ultrasound and immunohistochemistry features of 303 patients with first-ever PTC and who underwent surgery between 01/2014 to 12/2016 were analyzed, as well as the prognosis of the patients. Univariable and multivariable analyses were carried out to determine the risk factors of CLNM and recurrence.

Results

Among 303 patients, 125 (41.3%) were pathologically confirmed with CLNM. Multivariable analysis showed that multifocality, taller-than-wide shape, grade III–IV blood flow, capsular invasion, Ki-67 >10%, p53 ≥5%, T2 or T3 stages were independent risk factors for CLNM. The median follow-up was 56 months. Cox regression analysis showed that age ≥55 years, maximum tumor diameter >20 mm, multifocality, capsular invasion, Ki-67 5–10%, Ki-67 >10%, p53 ≥5%, T3 stage and N1a stage were independent risk factors for PTC recurrence. The Kaplan–Meier showed that recurrence-free survival (RFS) was different according to age (P=0.017), tumor size multifocality, capsular invasion, Ki-67, p53, T stage and N stage (all P<0.001).

Conclusion

For PTC with rich blood flow, taller-than-wide shape, multifocality, capsular invasion, p53 ≥5%, Ki-67 >10%, T2 or T3 stages prophylactic CLNM dissection might be indicated. Age≥55 years, maximum tumor diameter >20 mm, multifocality, capsular invasion, high Ki-67, p53 ≥5%, T3 and N1a stages affected the clinical outcome.

An intelligent platform for ultrasound diagnosis of thyroid nodules

This paper proposed a non-segmentation radiological method for classification of benign and malignant thyroid tumors using B mode ultrasound data. This method aimed to combine the advantages of morphological information provided by ultrasound and convolutional neural networks in automatic feature extraction and accurate classification. Compared with the traditional feature extraction method, this method directly extracted features from the data set without the need for segmentation and manual operations. 861 benign nodule images and 740 malignant nodule images were collected for training data. A deep convolution neural network VGG-16 was constructed to analyze test data including 100 malignant nodule images and 109 benign nodule images. A nine fold cross validation was performed for training and testing of the classifier. The results showed that the method had an accuracy of 86.12%, a sensitivity of 87%, and a specificity of 85.32%. This computer-aided method demonstrated comparable diagnostic performance with the result reported by an experienced radiologist based on American college of radiology thyroid imaging reporting and data system (ACR TI-RADS) (accuracy: 87.56%, sensitivity: 92%, and specificity: 83.49%). The automation advantage of this method suggested application potential in computer-aided diagnosis of thyroid cancer.

Predicting the factors associated with central lymph node metastasis in clinical node-negative (cN0) papillary thyroid microcarcinoma

PURPOSE

The aim of the present study was to investigate the risk factors associated with central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC).

METHODS

A total of 553 patients with PTMC confirmed by histological examination, who underwent thyroidectomy and central neck dissection (CND), were enrolled. The clinicopathological and ultrasonographic features from the patients were analyzed retrospectively.

RESULTS

PTMC patient age, Hashimoto thyroiditis (HT), tumor location, extrathyroidal extension (ETE), microcalcification and higher E values were correlated with the incidence of CLNM. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that age, HT, tumor location, ETE and E_max were related to the extent of CLNM. Chi-squared automatic interaction detection (CHAID) classification tree model showed that patients with tumor in upper/lower third combined ETE had a high risk of CLNM. Furthermore, cN0 PTMC patients with age ≤ 45 years and ETE had more extensive CLNM.

CONCLUSION

Our observations could be helpful for the assessment of prognostic factors of PTMC patients with CLNM.

Petal-Like Calcifications in Thyroid Nodules on Ultrasonography: A Rare Morphologic Characteristic of Calcification Associated With Aggressive Biological Behavior

This study investigated a rare ultrasonographically detected thyroid petal-like calcification and its relationship with thyroid carcinoma and biological behavior. We described the clinical and ultrasonographical features of thyroid nodules with petal-like calcifications in 18 patients undergoing thyroid surgery and cervical lymph node dissection. All of the thyroid nodules with petal-like calcifications were papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs). Of the 18 patients, 13 (72.2%) had cervical central lymph node metastasis, and five (27.8%) had cervical lateral lymph node metastasis. Petal-like calcifications occurred in malignant thyroid nodules with a high incidence of lymph node metastasis, which may be a specific ultrasonographic feature associated with the aggressive biological behavior of PTC.

Clinical characteristics and ultrasonographic features for predicting central lymph node metastasis in clinically node-negative papillary thyroid carcinoma without capsule invasion

BACKGROUND

To evaluate the association of preoperative clinical and sonographic features with central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) in patients with clinically node-negative (cN0) papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) without capsule invasion.

METHODS

Clinical and sonographic features of 635 cN0 PTC nodules without capsule invasion were retrospectively reviewed. CLNM was confirmed by pathology. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to analyze the predicting factors associated with CLNM in cN0 PTC without capsule invasion.

RESULTS

In the 635 cN0 PTC nodules without capsule invasion, age ≤36 years, male, tumor size >8 mm, the distance between the tumor and the capsule ≤1.1 mm and calcification were independently associated with CLNM (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

CLNM was associated with age, sex, tumor size, the distance between the tumor and the capsule, and calcification in cN0 PTC without capsule invasion. Preoperative assessment of risk factors could help to select PTC patients who benefit from surgery.

Which papillary thyroid microcarcinoma should be treated as "true cancer" and which as "precancer"?

BACKGROUND

Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) generally is a cancer with excellent prognosis, but the term "cancer" sounds severe and harsh, which can elicit emotional and physical responses from patients. To eliminate the word "cancer," the term noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) was introduced. However, not all PTMCs can be classified as NIFTP. Sometimes, very aggressive PTMC cases might be observed. Some authors suggest that one of the risk factors for poor prognosis is lymph node metastasis. The aim of the study was to evaluate some clinicopathological features of PTMC as the risk factors for lymph node metastasis.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We performed a retrospective chart review and selected 177 patients with PTMC. To analyze the cases with potentially aggressive behavior, we enrolled PTMC patients with lymph node metastases (pN1, central, and/or lateral) and evaluated some of their clinicopathological features.

RESULTS

The logistic regression analysis results demonstrated significantly higher rates of multifocal or bilateral tumor occurrence in the PTMC patients with pN1 than in the patients with pN0 (P < 0.0001 for both). In addition, the occurrence of thyroid tumors with sizes above 0.5 cm was a significant risk factor for lymph node metastasis (P < 0.0001). The results of the ROC analyses showed that the presence of multifocal or bilateral tumors and tumor sizes above 0.5 cm were significant predictors of lymph node metastasis (P < 0.0001 for all).

CONCLUSIONS

Multifocal and bilateral PTMC tumors with diameters above 0.5 cm should be treated aggressively as "true cancer" and might benefit from lymph node dissection. Unifocal PTMC tumors with diameters equal to or below 0.5 cm may be treated less aggressively.

Value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with elastography in evaluating cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma

BACKGROUND

Cervical lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) affects the treatment and prognosis of patients. Ultrasound is a common imaging method for detecting cervical lymph nodes in PTC patients; however, it is not accurate in determining lymph node metastasis.

AIM

To evaluate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with elastography in evaluating cervical lymph node metastasis in PTC.

METHODS

A total of 94 patients with PTC were recruited. According to pathological results, lymph nodes were divided into two groups: metastatic group (n = 50) and reactive group (n = 63). The routine ultrasound findings, contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography data were recorded and compared. Logistic regression was used to generate predictive probability distributions for the diagnosis of lymph node metastasis with different indicators. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to test the efficacy of contrast-enhanced ultrasound combined with elastography based on routine ultrasound in evaluating PTC cervical lymph node metastasis.

RESULTS

The ratio of long diameter/short diameter (L/S) ≤ 2, irregular marginal morphology, missing lymphatic portal, peripheral or mixed blood flow distribution, peak intensity (PI), non-uniform contrast distribution and elasticity score in the metastatic group were significantly higher than those in the reactive group (P < 0.05). L/S ratio, missing lymphatic portal, PI and elasticity score had a significant influence on the occurrence of PTC cervical lymph node metastasis (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the area under the curve (AUC) for lymph node metastasis diagnosed using the combination of PI ratio, elasticity score, missing lymphatic portal and LS was 0.936, which was significantly higher than the AUC for PI ratio alone. The difference was statistically significant (P < 0.05). The fitting equation for the combined diagnosis was logit(P) = -12.341 + 1.482 × L/S ratio + 3.529 × missing lymphatic portal + 0.392 × PI + 3.288 × elasticity score.

CONCLUSION

Based on the gray-scale ultrasound, the combination of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and elastography can accurately assess PTC cervical lymph node metastasis.

Clinical diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound and TI-RADS classification for benign and malignant thyroid tumors: One comparative cohort study

To evaluate the diagnostic efficacy and clinical value of contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) plus TI-RADS classification in benign and malignant thyroid tumors compared with either method alone.The informed consent was signed all patients. A total of 370 patients with thyroid tumors of TI-RADS category 3 and 4 were recruited, with 432 thyroid nodules. They respectively received routine ultrasonography and CEUS. The nodules were reclassified according to CEUS scoring, and a combined diagnosis was made. The pathological results were taken as the gold standard. The sensitivity (Se), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and area under the ROC curve were calculated for the 3 diagnostic methods. The diagnostic efficacy was compared by using Student t test, Pearson chi-square (χ) test, McNemar chi-square (χ) test or Z test. Student t test and logistic regression were employed for comparing different imaging features of benign and malignant thyroid tumors on CEUS and risk analysis.Of 432 thyroid nodules, there were 258 malignant nodules (59.72%) and 174 benign ones (40.28%). By logistic regression, 6 suspicious features on CEUS were considered significant for differentiating malignant from benign tumors: slow entry of contrast agents during enhancement stage (OR = 15.610, P = .001), slow time to peak (OR = 7.416, P = .002), non-uniform enhancement (OR = 10.076, P = .023), enhancement pattern (irregular) (OR = 36.233, P = .002), enhancement boundary (unclear) (OR = 25.300, P = .012), and no ring-like enhancement (OR = 25.297, P = .004). CEUS plus TI-RADS classification showed a higher diagnostic efficacy for differentiating between benign and malignant thyroid tumors. The Se was 85.66% (0.806-0.896), Sp 83.33% (0.768-0.884), PPV 88.40% (0.836-0.919), NPV 79.67% (0.729-0.851), and AUC 0.867 ± 0.019 (0.815-0.889). The above indicators were of statistical significance as compared with TI-RADS classification or CEUS alone (P <.05).CEUS can more clearly visualize microvascular distribution of the nodules and offers a new approach to diagnose benign and malignant thyroid tumors. TI-RADS classification plus CEUS is more accurate than TI-RADS classification alone. This combined approach is worthy of clinical popularization.

Semi-Automated Segmentation of the Tumor Vasculature in Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasound Data

The vascular architecture in tumors contains relevant information for tumor classification and evaluation of therapy responses. To develop a reliable and user-independent analysis tool, a foreground detection algorithm was combined with a maximum-intensity projection to obtain a high signal-to-noise image from contrast-enhanced B-mode data sets, enabling vessel segmentation by thresholding. Parameters describing the density of the vascular network, the number of vessels and the number of branches were extracted. The highly angiogenic A431 tumors had a relative blood volume of 49%, a mean pixel distance to the next vessel of 1.8 ± 0.3 px, 51 ± 29 individual vessels and 478 ± 184 branching points, whereas the more mature and heterogeneous vascularized human epithelial ovarian carcinoma (MLS) and A549 tumors had values of 30%, 3.7 ± 2.7 px, 65 ± 12 and 220 ± 159, and 13%, 7.4 ± 2 px, 31 ± 9 and 59 ± 40, respectively. Thus, our semi-automated analysis method enables the extraction of quantitative vascular features that may help to simplify and standardize tumor characterization.

Establishment and validation of the scoring system for preoperative prediction of central lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid carcinoma

Early preoperative diagnosis of central lymph node metastasis (CNM) is crucial to improve survival rates among patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Here, we analyzed clinical data from 2862 PTC patients and developed a scoring system using multivariable logistic regression and testified by the validation group. The predictive diagnostic effectiveness of the scoring system was evaluated based on consistency, discrimination ability, and accuracy. The scoring system considered seven variables: gender, age, tumor size, microcalcification, resistance index >0.7, multiple nodular lesions, and extrathyroid extension. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was 0.742, indicating a good discrimination. Using 5 points as a diagnostic threshold, the validation results for validation group had an AUC of 0.758, indicating good discrimination and consistency in the scoring system. The sensitivity of this predictive model for preoperative diagnosis of CNM was 4 times higher than a direct ultrasound diagnosis. These data indicate that the CNM prediction model would improve preoperative diagnostic sensitivity for CNM in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma.

A nonlinear approach to identify pathological change of thyroid nodules based on statistical analysis of ultrasound RF signals

In order to reassure the majority of patients with benign nodules from unnecessary needle biopsy, there is an increasing clinical requirement to identify benign and malignant thyroid nodules during ultrasound diagnosis. A nonlinear approach based on statistical analysis of ultrasound radio-frequency (RF) signals was developed for differential diagnosing the thyroid nodules to improve the diagnostic accuracy. Data from 44 patients with solitary thyroid nodules were collected, following with the ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration (FNA) as the ground truth. The relative P-value (rP-value) was estimated to quantify the pathophysiologic changes by comparing the region of interest (ROI) with the no pathological change part in the thyroid gland using only one frame of raw RF data. The malignant nodules were distinguished from benign ones with high accuracy and high credibility (sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 80%). Suspicious nodules (rP-value < 0.5) could be picked out for FNA with no additional instruments. This method shows promising in differentiating malignant from benign thyroid nodules, subsequently avoiding unnecessary biopsies.

Shear wave elastography and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography in the diagnosis of thyroid malignant nodules

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the value of shear wave elastography (SWE) and contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) in the diagnosis of thyroid malignant nodules. A total of 253 patients with 319 thyroid nodules were subjected to two-dimensional ultrasound (2DUS) and CEUS examinations prior to thyroidectomy between March, 2014 and December, 2015. Young's modulus value for each nodule on 2DUS and CEUS images were recorded. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 2DUS, SWE and CEUS in the diagnosis of thyroid malignant nodules were assessed. The results demonstrated that, of the 319 nodules that were pathologically confirmed, 183 were malignant and 136 were benign. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve as a result of SWE diagnosis was 0.77. When the threshold of the Young's modulus value was ≥27.65 kPa in the diagnosis of malignant thyroid nodules, SWE exhibited a sensitivity of 84.55% (115/136), a specificity of 84.15% (154/183) and an accuracy of 84.32% (269/319). US contrast imaging of malignant thyroid nodules revealed a major tendency for early hypoenhancement and hypoenhancement. CEUS exhibited a sensitivity of 87.5% (119/136), a specificity of 86.33% (158/183) and an accuracy of 86.83% (277/319) in the diagnosis of malignant thyroid nodules. Compared with 2DUS, SWE, CEUS and their combined use exhibited statistically significant differences in the diagnosis of thyroid malignant nodules in terms of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy (χ²=9.220,15.310 and 40.296, respectively; P=0.000); SWE or CEUS did not differ significantly in the diagnosis of thyroid malignant nodules in terms of sensitivity, specificity or accuracy (χ²=0.737;P=0.542); Compared with the use of SWE or CEUS alone, their combination exhibited statistically significant differences in the diagnosis of malignant thyroid nodules in terms of sensitivity, specificity and accuracy (χ²=12.264 and 6.939, respectively; P=0.000,0.005). In conclusion, the high accuracy of the combined use of SWE and CEUS in the diagnosis of malignant thyroid nodules is of great clinical value.

Contrast-Enhanced Ultrasonography with Quantitative Analysis allows Differentiation of Renal Tumor Histotypes

Totally 85 patients with 93 renal lesions who underwent contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) were retrospectively studied with quantitative analysis to evaluate its value in the differential diagnosis of renal tumor histotypes. CEUS characteristics were analysed including the enhancement patterns, peak intensity, homogeneity of enhancement, and pseudocapsule. Quantitative parameters of peak intensity (P) and time to peak (TP) were measured with QontraXt software, and the index “relative enhancement percentage” ΔP% and “difference in TP between tumor and cortex” ΔTP were used to quantify the CEUS features of renal tumors. There are significant difference in CEUS features between the 46 clear cell renal cell carcinoma (CCRCC) and other types of renal tumors, including 17 low malignant lesions, 11 urothelial carcinoma of the renal pelvis, and 19 renal angiomyolipoma. The differences lie in the peak intensity, the homogeneity, the time of wash-in, peak, clearance and presence of pseudocapsule. The ΔTP and ΔP% of the CCRCC is significantly different from other tumors. With “fast to peak + high peak intensity” as the main criterion, assisted with “heterogeneous enhancement” and “fast wash-in” as the secondary criteria, the diagnostic accuracy of CCRCC is 91.4%, demonstrating quantitative CEUS imaging is highly valuable in differentiating CCRCC from other tumors.

Shear-Wave Elastography for Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma can Improve Prediction of Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate whether the elasticity index of shear-wave elastography (SWE) can predict cervical lymph node (LN) metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC).

METHODS

This retrospective study included 363 patients with a surgical diagnosis of PTC who underwent preoperative SWE evaluation. The elasticity indices of PTC (E _mean, E _max, E _min, E _ratio-p, and E _ratio-m) and gray-scale ultrasound (US) parameters (extrathyroidal extension, multifocality, and cervical LN metastasis) were correlated with the pathologic staging parameters. The optimal cutoff values for the elasticity indices were determined for the prediction of cervical LN metastasis, and diagnostic performance was compared between gray-scale US and the combined application of gray-scale US and SWE.

RESULTS

The findings showed E _mean and E _max to be associated with central LN metastasis (P = 0.037) and E _min to be associated with lateral LN metastasis (P = 0.015). An E _mean value higher than 124 kPa or an E _max value higher than 138 kPa with suspicious gray-scale US findings improved the sensitivity and area under the curve (AUC) for predicting central LN metastasis (sensitivity, 45.4 and 44.6 % vs. 28 %, P < 0.001; AUC, 0.659 and 0.667 vs. 0.615, P = 0.011 and 0.019), whereas an E _min value higher than 63 kPa with suspicious gray-scale US findings improved the sensitivity and AUC for predicting lateral LN metastasis (sensitivity, 95.8 vs. 75 %, P = 0.025; AUC, 0.924 vs. 0.871, P = 0.047).

CONCLUSION

The quantitative elasticity index of PTC on preoperative SWE could be useful for predicting cervical LN metastasis.

"Onion Skin-liked Sign" in Thyroid Ultrasonography: A Characteristic Feature of Benign Thyroid Nodules

Background:

Some ultrasonographic (US) signs overlap between benign and malignant nodules. The purpose of this study was to raise a special US sign of benign thyroid nodules, termed the “onion skin-liked sign.”

Methods:

Twenty-seven patients with 27 nodules who shrank naturally and the “onion skin-liked sign” appeared on the final US images were enrolled in the study. The ultrasound characters and risk stratifications at the start and end of observation were compared. Then, thirty goiters with fibrosis and thirty papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC) were randomly selected from the database of our hospital, matched the sizes of 27 nodules at the end point of observation. The differences of “onion skin-liked sign” between the two groups were analyzed.

Results:

The average duration of follow-up of 27 nodules was 24.0 ± 12.2 months (range, 12–65 months). At the end of the follow-up, the size of the nodules decreased on average by 1.26 ± 0.82 cm (range, 0.3–3.4 cm) and calcification was found in 21 nodules, compared with only 2 nodules with calcification at the start of the follow-up. In addition, only negligible or no blood flow signal could be detected at the periphery of all the nodules and 100% (27/27) were high suspicion at the end of observation. In matched groups, all PTC showed high suspicion of malignancy, 18/30 (60%) goiters with fibrosis were high suspicion and 11/30 (37%) were intermediate suspicion. Twenty-two patients in the group of nodular fibrosis presented “onion skin-liked sign,” which was not shown in any patient of PTC group. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of “onion skin-liked sign” in predicting nodular goiter with fibrosis were 73.3%, 100%, 100%, and 78.9%, respectively.

Conclusions:

The “onion skin-liked sign” was a characteristic US feature of benign thyroid nodules detected in the follow-up of thyroid nodules. It is useful to differentiate PTCs and nodular goiters with fibrosis.