Carcinoma of the thyroid gland; a review of 106 cases.

In a review of 106 cases of carcinoma of the thyroid gland, it was noted that a solitary thyroid nodule is the most outstanding single physical sign in this disease. It should be investigated by biopsy of a specimen removed at operation. Patients and physicians were sometimes guilty of delay in this regard. Papillary carcinoma involved multiple foci within the gland in at least half of the cases and there was a high incidence of regional lymph node metastasis associated with this type. Doubt was cast on conclusions by other investigators that carcinoma of the thyroid rarely is lethal in patients less than 40 years of age.