Thyroid masses in Sierra Leone: a one-year retrospective clinico- pathological study

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Thyroid disorders are the second most common endocrine diseases in humans. There has been no study of thyroid masses in our setting in spite of recurrent presentations. We undertook a retrospective study of incident thyroidectomy cases in our anatomic pathology laboratory over one year to establish the frequency and clinico-pathologic features of thyroid masses.

METHODS: All thyroid specimens submitted to the anatomic pathology laboratory of the University of Sierra Leone Teaching Hospital Connaught from January 1, 2021 to December 31, 2021, were included in the study. Data was extracted from archived request forms, pathology reports, and patient’s case notes retrieved from the records department. The data obtained was analyzed with SPSS software.

RESULTS: Twenty-seven thyroidectomy specimens (4.5% of all surgical pathology cases) were seen over a one-year period. Ninety-two percent were from women, while 7.4% were from men. The age range of patients was 17 to 65 years; the median age (IQR) was 40 (35-48) years. Duration of mass before presentation ranged from 3 months to 50 years. About 75% of the resected thyroid masses weighed 5 to 21 times more than a normal thyroid gland. Multinodular goiter was the most common histology (70.4%). Twenty-two percent of the resected masses were malignant.

CONCLUSION: Thyroid masses constitute about 4.5% of all surgical specimens in our laboratory. Most thyroid masses are borne for years with no serious consequences. Some of the resected masses were up to 20 times the size of a normal gland. The frequency of malignant diagnoses in thyroid masses was 22.5%.