Results

A total of 522 thyroid specimens (1.5% of all biopsies) were received over the ten year period. Thyroid neoplasms accounted for 157 (30.1%) of all the thyroid specimens, comprising 130 females (82.8%) and 27 males (17.2%) with female to male ratio of 4.8: 1. The ages range from 15 to 80 years with a mean age of 35.8 years and peak occurrence in the 4th decade. There were 82 cases (52.2%) of thyroid adenoma (mostly follicular) while thyroid carcinoma accounted for 66 cases (42%). Papillary carcinoma predominated (53%) followed by follicular carcinoma (33.3%) and medullary carcinoma (9.1%). One case each (1.5%) of anaplastic carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma and metastatic squamous cell carcinoma were seen. All the malignant tumours were epithelial and all except one were primary thyroid malignancy.

Conclusion

Thyroid neoplasmis a common thyroid gland lesion in Kano with a striking female preponderance. Thyroid adenoma was the most common benign neoplasm while papillary carcinoma seen a decade earlier in females was the most common malignant thyroid neoplasm. The predominance of papillary carcinoma over follicular carcinoma is a reverse of the finding of an earlier clinicopatholgical study on thyroid gland diseases in Kano.