Needle guided biopsy on Thyroid

[mfmmurphy]

Can a needle guided biopsy on thyroid determine more than if it's cancer or not?  Can it determine if you have hypo or hyperthyroid, Graves Disease?  Or it that determined based on bloodwork?  How long does it normally take to get results back.  The hospital seems to think two weeks, although that sounds like a rather long time to wait.

Thanks,

[wanhafi123]

just wait for fnac result..it will determine whether it is cancer or not..hope yours was not a cancer like mine..

[898_1]

The nodule with calcified rim without internal blood flow is likely benign as opposed to the nodule with scattered micro calcifications

[Barb135]

I agree that 2 weeks is excessive for FNA results, but that could depend on where they have to send samples for anaylysis.

Thank you for the reference range for the FT4... your FT4 is slightly lower in the range than we recommend.  Typically, we recommend that it be around the 50% area; yours is only 44% of its range, which could indicate that your thyroid function is beginning to slow down.  

It would have been good if they'd also have ordered and FT3, which is the hormone actually used by individual cells and which correlates best with symptoms.

Do you have a reference range for the Thyroglobulin?  

[mfmmurphy]

I did have an FNA, just yesterday.  Waiting for results.  The doctor doing the test said it could take 2 weeks for pathology to come back.  I think that seems a little long to wait.  Hoping they come back sooner.  thanks for your help.

[Barb135]

FNA is Fine Needle Aspiration, otherwise known as a biospy.

We have to compare your results with reference ranges shown on your report, so I can only tell you if your results are normal if I can see if your results fall within those ranges.  

[mfmmurphy]

I think I understand your question now.  Reference range says 0.5 - 4.8 for TSH and T4 reference range is 0.8 - 1.7

So according to the lab, that's normal?

[mfmmurphy]

Does anything look abnormal is my blood work?  I guess I thought it was normal.  

[mfmmurphy]

whats an FNA.  See I need to talk to someone because I know very little.  I don't see anything on my lab other than what I wrote above.  Could it be called something else?  

[Barb135]

Increase Thyroglobulin can skew the Thyroglobulin Antibody test... What are the reference ranges for the Tg and the FT4 tests?

Your FT4 looks to be low in the range, but ranges vary lab to lab and have to come from your own report.

Do you have an FNA scheduled?

[mfmmurphy]

Thank you.  I guess I'm just so confused about all this.  My doctor has not explained much since she wanted to wait for all the tests to come back.  I do know that they found a 1 cm nodule on the left with rim like calcification, and they need to test to see if its cancer.  My CEA was a bit high so that adds to the equation, I think.  

This is what my bloodwork show:

Thyroglobulin, Antibody      <1.0
Thyroglobulin, Serum           5.9
Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO)    24
TSH-ICMA                          1.1
Free T4 by Dialysis/Mass spec 1.2

I believe, the bloodwork looks be be in normal range.  Any thoughts on this?  I'm so confused about all of this.  Hoping someone might be able to explain more.  Thanks so very much for any help you can provide.

[Barb135]

An FNA will tell if you have cancer and if so, what type. Not sure if it will tell if you have thyroiditis or not... ultrasound will tell that. You will need to have thyroid function tests, Free T3 and Free T4, along with the pituitary hormone, TSH to determine if you have hyper or hypothyroidism.  

You need blood tests for thyroid antibodies to determine if you have autoimmune thyroid disease - either Hashimoto's or Graves Disease.  

Hashimoto's is, typically associated with hypothyroidism, but is often characterized by periods of hyperthyroidism in the beginning stages.  Graves Disease is always associated with hyperthyroidism.

Tests for Hashimoto's are Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroglobulin Antibodies (TgAb).  Definitive test for Graves Disease is Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI).