CRITERIA FOR CITOLOGICAL DIAGNOSIS OF THYROID CARCINOMA

Fine-needle aspiration is a low-cost diagnostic tool with principal value in determining which patients with thyroid nodules should undergo surgery. Team work and close cooperation among endocrinologists, surgeons, and pathologists are essential for success. Cytologic criteria for diagnosis of the most frequent malignancies found in thyroid aspirates have been provided. The unsolved problem of the so-called »follicular or oxyphilic lesion or neoplasia« will be investigated by immunocytochemistry.