Identifying and Predicting Diverse Patterns of Benign Nodule Growth
Authors' conclusion
The natural history of benign nodule growth is diverse, with over 80% of nodules demonstrating minimal to no growth long-term. Nearly 20% of cytologically benign nodules may exhibit a fast, continued growth pattern, which can be predicted by the 3-year growth rate pattern. These findings can help inform decision making for tailored benign nodule follow-up and monitoring.
Study context
- Population
- Patients with solitary, solid, cytologically benign thyroid nodules ≥1 cm and follow-up US for at least 4 years
- Participants
- 389 consecutive patients
- Exposure
- A) Stagnant vs B) Slow-growing vs C) Fast-growing
- Outcome
- Patterns of benign nodule growth and their predictors
- Follow-up
- Mean (±SD) 7.7 (±2.7) years
Methodological detailsconsecutive patients
- Consecutive patients
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Nodule growth patterns
C) Fast-growing
17.2%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Fast-growing nodules (>1.0 mm/year) by age
| OR (CI) | P value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients younger than 50 years | 2.2 (1.2–4.1) | P = 0.016 | |
| 0.20.5125Odds ratio (log scale) |
| Outcome | OR (CI) | P value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fast-growing nodules (>1.0 mm/year) by nodule size2.0-2.9 cmvs 1-1.9 cmReference 1-1.9 cm | 3.5 (1.7–7.1) | P = 0.001 | |
| Fast-growing nodules (>1.0 mm/year) by nodule size>3.0 cmvs 1-1.9 cmReference 1-1.9 cm | 4.4 (1.8–10.4) | P = 0.001 | |
| 0.050.21520Odds ratio (log scale) |
Growth >0.2 mm/year over 3 years as predictor of longer-term fast growth
- Independent predictor of longer-term fast nodule growth, adjusted for age, sex, TSH and nodule size
- P < 0.001
- Multiple regression model
Original publication
Identifying and Predicting Diverse Patterns of Benign Nodule Growth. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. Published 10 January 2023. doi:10.
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