Correlation of triple diagnostic (clinical, thyroid ultrasound, and FNAB) with histopathology in thyroid cancer patient

Background: A thyroid nodule is a thyroid gland lesion that can be benign or malignant. The diagnosis was made based on clinical, radiological, and pathological findings, including McGill Thyroid Nodule Score (MTNS) for risk estimation, ultrasound using TIRADS criteria, and also fine needle aspiration biopsy (FNAB), which detected malignancy. However, the accuracy varied. The combination of these 3 diagnostic methods provides a better accuracy. This study aims to determine the correlation of triple diagnostics with histopathology in thyroid cancer patients. Method: This is a retrospective observational analytical study of thyroid nodule patients in Ulin Hospital from 2018 to 2022. Inclusion criteria in this study include patients with complete triple diagnostic data (clinical symptom, USG thyroid, and FNAB). Patients with incomplete data were excluded. Variables collected included demography, histopathology, symptom, ultrasonography (USG), and FNAB results. Data was analyzed with SPSS software using Spearman correlation and logistic regression tests. Results: A positive and statistically significant correlation between thyroid cancer with MTNS (r = 0.352, p = 0.002) and Bathesda (r = 0.240, p = 0.034) was discovered. A positive correlation was also found between TIRADS and thyroid cancer (r = 0.158) but not statistically significant (p>0,05). The combination of MTNS, TIRADS, and FNAB produced a strong positive and significant correlation (r = 0.510, p = 0.008) with thyroid cancer. Conclusion: MTNS and Bathesda categorization significantly correlated with thyroid cancer histopathology, while the TIRADS category presented a meaningless relationship. Triple diagnostics revealed a stronger and more significant correlation with histopathology in thyroid cancer patients.