Cancer in thyroid nodules. A community hospital survey.

There is little available evidence of the efficiency of preoperative screening for cancer in solitary thyroid nodules in the community hospital setting, and limited composite data for comparison. A three-year survey was made in a 480 bed community hospital to determine the percentage cancer index (PCI) found in patients operated on for solitary thyroid nodules. Cancer was diagnosed in ten of 153 patients with a PCI of 6.5%. For comparison, an extensive literature review revealed a mean PCI ranging from 13.8% to 27.9%, depending on the preoperative selection process. Periodic surveys of PCI in solitary nodules in community hospitals would yield pertinent information in relation to the general "state of the art" and encourage attainment of a PCI as high as feasible.