Oueslati Z, Ben-Assouna H, Touati S, Gritli S, el-May A, Gamoudi A, Benna F, Ladgham A
Institut Salah Azaiz, Service de Chirurgie Carcinologique Maxillo-Faciale et Oto-Rhino-Laryngologique, Tunis, Tunisie.
Rev Laryngol Otol Rhinol (Bord). 2002;123(4):235-8.
Thyroid oncocytomas are rare tumors. They put problems of differential diagnosis enter malignant and benign forms. The modalities of the surgical treatment are controversial, in form as benign as malignant. Their prognosis is also debated.
Our retrospective study concerns 111 thyroid oncocytomas, so 6.5% of thyroid operated in our centre between 1981 and 2001. The sex-ratio of the patients was 0.16 with an average age of 41 years (15 to 72 years).
All the fixed nodules, those associated to a recurrential paralysis, to tangible nodes or/and to microcalcifications on the radiography of the neck was malignant. Histological extemporaneous exam was not decisive in 16% of cases, among which 33% showed themselves malignant in the definitive exam, which put in evidence 9 carcinomas (8%). We treated benign oncocytomas by a loboisthmectomy for the isolated nodules, and the subtotal or total thyroidectomy for multinodular glands. For oncocytic carcinomas, we realized a total thyroidectomy with ganglionic taking and histological extemporaneous exam, followed by evidment in case of invasion (2 patients). For the 5 patients having presented a residual fixation, we obtained a white cartography after radioactive iodine administration. For the benign oncocytoma, we did ot notice any recurrences with an average drop of 28 months (2 months to 7 years). For carcinoma, 8 patients on 9 presented an actuarial survival without disease with an average drop of 44 months (18 months to 8 years).
The diagnosis of malignancy of thyroid oncocytomas can be strongly evoked on however fickle clinical and radiological criteria; it can be eliminated only after definitive anatomo-pathological exam.
