Table 2.
Thyroid Nodule Characteristics
| Characteristic | All data, n | Benign | Cancer | p |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total, N (%) | 3241 (100.0) | 2906 (89.7) | 335 (10.3) | <0.0001* |
| Laterality (%) | ||||
| Right | 1627 (100.0) | 1462 (89.9) | 165 (10.1) | 0.0031* |
| Left | 1419 (100.0) | 1283 (90.4) | 136 (9.6) | |
| Isthmus | 195 (100.0) | 161 (82.6) | 34 (17.4) | |
| Nodule location (%) | ||||
| Upper | 355 (100.0) | 303 (85.4) | 52 (14.6) | <0.0001* |
| Middle | 1481 (100.0) | 1330 (89.8) | 151 (10.2) | |
| Lower | 1210 (100.0) | 1112 (91.9) | 98 (8.1) | |
| Isthmus | 195 (100.0) | 161 (82.6) | 34 (17.4) | |
| ACR TI-RADS score (%) | ||||
| TR1 | 288 (100.0) | 287 (99.7) | 1 (0.3) | <0.0001* |
| TR2 | 513 (100.0) | 505 (98.4) | 8 (1.6) | |
| TR3 | 742 (100.0) | 708 (95.4) | 34 (4.6) | |
| TR4 | 1179 (100.0) | 1076 (91.3) | 103 (8.7) | |
| TR5 | 519 (100.0) | 330 (63.6) | 189 (36.4) | |
| Maximum size, mean (SD), mm | 23.8 (13.3) | 24.2 (13.1) | 20.3 (14.16) | <0.0001 |
| Upper | 18.9 (9.2) | 19.4 (9.3) | 16.2 (7.9) | 0.1058 |
| Middle | 25.4 (14.5) | 25.8 (14.3) | 22.2 (16.4) | 0.0016 |
| Lower | 23.9 (12.6) | 24.1 (12.5) | 21.2 (13.4) | 0.0362 |
| Isthmus | 20.3 (11.3) | 21.3 (11.2) | 15.6 (10.7) | 0.0206 |
*
p-Values refer to contingency analysis only of descriptive nature for the entire group (group characteristic vs. cancer diagnosis).
ACR, American College of Radiology; SD, standard deviation; TI-RADS, Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System.