Saritha Karre

Papillary thyroid carcinomas constitute more than 70% of thyroid malignancies. While the most common variants are conventional and follicular, uncommon variants such as oncocytic, diffuse sclerosing etc are also observed. The most common etiological factor is radiation, but genetic susceptibility and other factors can also contribute to the development of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Aims and Objectives: The aim of our study was to analyze different variants of papillary thyroid carcinoma at the Kamineni Institute of Medical Sciences, Narketpally. In the Nalgonda district, thyroid carcinoma constituted 1% and 2% of all incident cancers among males and females, respectively. Materials and Methods: Our data base included a total of 356 patients (non neoplastic 219 and neoplastic 137). Consecutive cases of papillary thyroid carcinoma admitted to the Kamineni institute of medical sciences were 52 (9 males and 43 females) over a period of four years. Results: The diagnosis of thyroid cancer was confirmed by fine needle aspiration cytology in most (88%) of the cases. There was a female preponderance (9 males and 43 females). The primary modality of treatment was surgery with total thyroidectomy being performed in 82%, while the rest underwent hemithyroidectomy. The papillary carcinomas were sub- categorized based on the pattern. Most of the cases were conventional type [61.52%] followed by follicular variant PTC [21.2%], encapsulated [9.6%] and one each case of oncocytic type, Sclerosing variant, tall cell variant, PTC with anaplastic changes [1.92%] each. Conclusion: The purpose of this study was to review and compare the various histopathological patterns of PTC with those of classical PTC. Different variants or histological patterns may co-exist in the same tumor. High dietary intake of iodine was the most significant risk factor for the etiology of papillary thyroid carcinoma in our study. Keywords: Papillary thyroid carcinoma, Follicular variant.