{"id":70931,"date":"2025-03-31T08:09:47","date_gmt":"2025-03-31T14:09:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=70931"},"modified":"2025-03-31T09:22:58","modified_gmt":"2025-03-31T15:22:58","slug":"when-to-worry-about-thyroid-nodules","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/when-to-worry-about-thyroid-nodules\/","title":{"rendered":"When to worry about thyroid nodules"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>
\"Doctor
Thyroid nodules are more common in older adults, but they can occur at any age. Assessing thyroid function is tackled through a simple blood test. Photo: Getty Images.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thyroid nodules, or lumps in the thyroid gland, are usually nothing to worry about. But every now and then, they signal a more serious issue, such as cancer<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThyroid nodules are very common in older adults,\u201d said Dr. Jessica Devin<\/a>, an endocrinologist<\/a> with UCHealth Endocrinology Clinic in Steamboat Springs<\/a>. \u201cNearly half of adults 60 years or older have some sort of nodule in their thyroid gland.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s rare for thyroid nodules to cause issues, such as voice hoarseness or trouble swallowing, that would signal the need to get them checked out. Typically, they\u2019re found through a routine physical examination.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsually, a provider feels a nodule during an annual exam, or they are picked up incidentally through imaging,\u201d Devin said. For instance, a carotid ultrasound<\/a> or a cervical spine MRI<\/a> may also end up revealing thyroid nodules.<\/p>\n

Are thyroid nodules common?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Thyroid nodules are more common in older adults and also in people with Hashimoto\u2019s disease, an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid gland.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can get them at any age, but a thyroid nodule in a younger individual is a red flag,\u201d Devin said.<\/p>\n

Once thyroid nodules are discovered, an endocrinologist can help with further diagnosis.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are two things we want to rule out,\u201d Devin said. \u201cFirst, we want to make sure you\u2019re not making too much thyroid hormone. And the next thing to rule out is thyroid cancer.\u201d<\/p>\n

Assessing thyroid function is tackled through a simple blood test. If too much thyroid hormone is being produced, additional scans may be done, and medication may be prescribed to bring hormone levels into a normal range. In very rare cases, surgery may be needed.<\/p>\n

If initial tests show thyroid function is normal, the next step is ultrasound imaging.<\/p>\n

\u201cDepending on the size of the nodule and what it looks like on an ultrasound \u2013 is it solid or cystic, are there things like calcifications or vascularity \u2013 we may recommend a biopsy,\u201d Devin said.<\/p>\n

A biopsy is done under ultrasound guidance and can result in six possible results.<\/p>\n

Can a benign thyroid nodule become malignant?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cThe vast majority of the time, it\u2019s coming back benign,\u201d Devin said. \u201cBut the biggest surprise for patients is the fact that you don\u2019t always get an answer from a biopsy. That\u2019s the hard part \u2013 you may not get a black-and-white answer.\u201d<\/p>\n

If the biopsy shows the nodules are benign, there\u2019s no need for treatment, though some providers continue to follow up with patients. While there aren\u2019t strict guidelines for how long to keep tabs on thyroid nodules, Devin typically follows up with an ultrasound one year later, then again two years after that.<\/p>\n

About 5% of the time, the biopsy will come back cancerous. In that case, the first step is surgery to remove the mass. A third option is for the biopsy to come back as suspicious, in which case the mass is considered cancerous and removed as well.<\/p>\n

Very rarely, a result will suggest that there wasn\u2019t a big enough sample and that the biopsy should be re-done.<\/p>\n

The other two possible results are \u201cindeterminate\u201d \u2013 one suggests there\u2019s a 5-15% chance of cancer, while the other suggests a 25% chance of cancer. With those results, some facilities, including YVMC, send off part of the sample that was held back for genetic testing. If genetic markers associated with cancer are found, then there\u2019s a 50% chance the mass is cancerous.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s not going to be a definite \u2018Yes, you\u2019ve got it,\u2019 but the genetic testing<\/a> is meant to save patients from unnecessary surgery,\u201d Devin said.<\/p>\n

If a nodule is cancerous and surgery is needed, Devin first makes sure a patient\u2019s entire neck has been imaged, as 30% of thyroid cancers have locally metastasized to lymph nodes.<\/p>\n

Depending on the size or number of nodules, only half of the thyroid gland may need to be removed. In those cases, most patients don\u2019t need thyroid replacement therapy.<\/p>\n

While a cancer diagnosis is never a welcome one, patients can take heart that, in most cases, thyroid cancer<\/a> can be treated.<\/p>\n

\u201cThyroid cancer is super, super treatable,\u201d Devin said. \u201cMost of the time, it can be cured with surgery.\u201d<\/p>\n

This story was first published in Steamboat Pilot.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Thyroid nodules, or lumps in the thyroid gland, are usually nothing to worry about. But every now and then, they signal a more serious issue, such as cancer. \u201cThyroid nodules are very common in older adults,\u201d said Dr. Jessica Devin, an endocrinologist with UCHealth Endocrinology Clinic in Steamboat Springs. \u201cNearly half of adults 60 years […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2163,"featured_media":71788,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[4857,342,9187],"class_list":["post-70931","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthy-living","tag-diabetes-and-endocrinology-care","tag-endocrinology","tag-readysetco"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nWhen to worry about thyroid nodules - UCHealth Today<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Nearly half of adults 60 years or older have thyroid nodules. 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