In this issue of JAMA Otolaryngology−Head & Neck Surgery, Dr Sajisevi and colleagues report the findings of a retrospective analysis of 1328 patients in 16 centers in 4 countries who underwent thyroid surgery for thyroid pathology in 2019. Patients were classified by the mode of detection of the thyroid findings that led to surgery: endocrinopathic condition, patient-requested screening, clinician-screening physical examination, radiologic serendipity, diagnostic cascade, symptomatic thyroid disease, and under surveillance. The primary outcomes were the mode of detection and the proportion and size of thyroid cancers discovered in patients who were asymptomatic. The authors found that 41% of patients were asymptomatic at the time of the detection of the thyroid condition, while 34% of patients had structural thyroid symptoms at the time of detection. The remaining 25% of patients were either under surveillance for known thyroid pathology, such as thyroid nodules, or had an endocrinopathic condition, such as hyperthyroidism, hyperparathyroidism, or multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome. Of the 1328 cases, 613 (46%) revealed thyroid cancer. The authors also found that 51% of these cancers were in asymptomatic patients, while only 30% were in symptomatic patients. Finally, the mean tumor size was significantly larger in symptomatic compared with asymptomatic patients (3.2 cm vs 2.1 cm).
