Abstract:OBJECTIVE: To study the clinical features, diagnosis and therapy of thyroid neoplasm in children. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed on 32 children with thyroid nodular who were underwent operation in Xiangya Hospital between January 2002 and December 2010. RESULTS: Of the 32 cases, there were 23 girls and 9 boys. Six cases were diagnosed as nodular Goiter adenoma and 26 cases were diagnosed as thyroid papillary carcinoma. B-ultrasonic examination showed a 100% accurate rate for the diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma. Fourteen children (44%) were proven to have concurrent Hashimoto′s thyroiditis. Twenty-two (69%) children with thyroid carcinoma were found to have lymph metastasis in the lateral neck. The children younger than 10 years showed a high rate of metastasis than those older one (94% vs 56%, P＜0.05). All 32 children received a surgical therapy. Subtotal thyroidectomy was performed on the 6 children with nodular Goiter adenoma. Total thyroidectomy (17 cases) or ipsilateral thyroidectomy (9 cases) was performed according to the stage of thyroid carcinoma. The surgical outcomes were followed up for 3 months to 9 years and no recurrence or death occurred. The development and growth were normal in the children. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood thyroid nodular attacks girls more than boys, and the frequency of malignancy is high. Hashimoto′s thyroiditis is a common concurrent disease. The incidence of local lymph metastasis is high in those younger than 10 years. The surgical therapy for thyroid neoplasm may lead satisfactory outcomes in children.
