Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of patients
| Characteristics | Benign | Malignant | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Number | 486 | 50 | 536 (100 %) |
| Male sex (%) | 67 (13.8 %) | 19 (38.0 %) | 86 (16.0 %) |
| Age (years) | 51.2 (15.9) | 50.9 (15.9) | 51.2 (15.9) |
| Smoking status | |||
| Never | 240 (57.4 %) | 23 (62.1 %) | 263 (57.8 %) |
| Previous | 53 (12.7 %) | 3 (8.11 %) | 56 (12.3 %) |
| Current | 125 (29.9 %) | 11 (29.7 %) | 136 (29.9 %) |
| Thyroid status | |||
| TSH (mU/l) | 1.20 (0.50–2.00) | 1.95 (1.13–2.90) | 1.40 (0.70–2.40) |
| FT4 (pmol/l) | 15.8 (7.52) | 13.8 (5.38) | 16.9 (7.56) |
| Nodule size (cm) | 2.91 (1.63) | 2.99 (1.44) | 2.91 (1.61) |
| Microcalcification | 61 (12.5 %) | 26 (52.0 %) | 87 (16.2 %) |
| Nodule Composition | |||
| Cystic | 90 (18.5 %) | 6 (12.0 %) | 96 (17.9 %) |
| Mixed | 53 (10.9 %) | 6 (12.0 %) | 59 (11.0 %) |
| Solid | 343 (70.6 %) | 38 (76.0 %) | 381 (71.1 %) |
| Echogenicity | |||
| Iso or hyper-echoic | 332 (68.3 %) | 25 (50.0 %) | 357 (66.6 %) |
| Mixed | 59 (12.1 %) | 9 (18.0 %) | 68 (12.7 %) |
| Hypo-echoic | 95 (19.6 %) | 16 (32.0 %) | 111 (20.7 %) |
| Margins | |||
| Regular | 469 (96.5 %) | 43 (86.0 %) | 512 (95.5 %) |
| Irregular | 17 (3.50 %) | 7 (14.0 %) | 24 (4.5 %) |
Figures are mean (SD), number (%) or median (IQR)