Whether a malignant thyroid nodule is cancer depends first on which means is used to detect it. If it is found to be malignant by ultrasound of the thyroid, it is not conclusive. If a thyroid puncture biopsy is perfected followed by pathological examination, the diagnosis of cancer can be confirmed.
Thyroid nodules are described as a result of thyroid ultrasound. Thyroid nodules are suggestive of malignancy, and the diagnosis is determined by thyroid ultrasound or puncture biopsy.
The TI-RADS classification for assessing the benignity of thyroid nodules is as follows: TI-RADS category 1: normal thyroid; TI-RADS category 2: benign (malignancy rate 0); TI-RADS category 3: probable benign nodules (malignancy rate <5%); TI-RADS category 4: suspicious nodules, which can be classified as 4a (malignancy rate 5%-10%) and 4b (malignancy rate 10%-80%); and TI-RADS category 4: suspicious nodules, which can be classified as 4a (malignancy rate 5%-10%) and 4b (malignancy rate 10%-80%). TI-RADS category 5: probable malignant nodules (malignancy rate >80%); TI-RADS category 6: typing includes biopsy-proven malignant nodules. Therefore, a diagnosis of cancer is not confirmed if the thyroid ultrasound indicates malignancy.
Thyroid puncture biopsies are currently performed using needle aspiration to extract thyroid nodule tissue. The results of this study will be presented in the form of a biopsy of the tissue to see if the cell morphology is consistent with the characteristics of cancerous cells. If the pathology is confirmed as malignant, the diagnosis is confirmed as cancer.
In summary, pathology must be performed to confirm whether a malignant thyroid nodule is cancerous.