Hurthle Cell Tumors of the Thyroid Gland

Suh, Young Jin; Chun, Chung Soo; Kim, Young Hyug; Cho, Hyun Min; Won, Yong Sung; Chin, Hyung Min; Kim, Jun Gi; Park, Woo Bae

Abstract

PURPOSE
Nodular lesions of the thyroid gland, composed predominantly of HÃ¼rthle cells, are so rare as to be difficult for pathologists to interpret properly and, consequently, for surgeons to treat appropriately. Our intent in evaluating these lesions was to try to establish pathologic and clinical criteria that could be used to differentiate more accurately between malignant and benign tumors.
METHODS
We retrospectively evaluated 5 patients presenting with HÃ¼rthle cell tumors over the past 10 years. We focused on the clinicopathological analysis correlated with the tumor size, the type of operation and the prognosis.
RESULTS
Five female patients were included in the study, their average age was 48.8 years (19~69 years). One case was carcinoma and the other 4 were adenomas. Average size of the tumor was 3.34 cm in diameter. Total thyroidectomy was performed in two cases including the carcinoma case. None of them died as a result of the disease, nor had a recurrence. No preoperative study was useful in differentiating between malignancy and benignancy.
CONCLUSION
Many more cases need to be evaluated to determine the exact biological behavior of the HÃ¼rthle cell tumor of the thyroid gland. Clinical and pathological factors are required for surgeons to decide the type of operation appropriate in order to avoid compromising the therapeutic goals. We recommend total thyroidectomy for tumors with the intraoperative frozen section raising the suspicion of malignancy and for those with diameters over 2.5 cm.