A 36-year-old woman comes to the physician for a follow-up visit after she had a PET scan that showed a nodule on the thyroid gland. She has no difficulty or pain while swallowing. She was treated for non-Hodgkin lymphoma at the age of 28 years, which included external beam radiation to the head and neck and 4 cycles of chemotherapy. She appears healthy. Vital signs are within normal limits. Physical examination shows no abnormalities. Serum studies show: Glucose 82 mg/dL Creatinine 0.7 mg/dL Thyroid-stimulating hormone 3 μU/mL Ultrasound of the neck shows a 1.2-cm (0.5-in) nodule on the left lobe of the thyroid with irregular margins and microcalcifications. A fine-needle aspiration biopsy shows Psammoma bodies and cells with clear, ground-glass, empty nuclei. Which of the following is the most appropriate next step in management?
AThyroid scintigraphy
BObservation and follow-up in 3 months
CRadioiodine therapy
DTotal thyroidectomy
A 25-year-old man presents with a mass on his neck. He says that he first noticed the mass a few weeks ago while taking a shower. Since then, the mass has not increased in size. He denies any pain or difficulty in swallowing. Past medical history is unremarkable. Family history is significant for his father who had his thyroid removed when he was around his age but doesn’t know why. Review of systems is significant for occasional episodes of anxiety that include a pounding headache, racing heart, and sweating. His vital signs include: pulse 88/min, blood pressure 133/87 mm Hg, temperature 37.2°C (99.0°F), and respiratory rate 14/min. He is 183 cm (6 ft 2 in) tall with long extremities. On physical examination, the patient appears cachectic. There is a palpable 4 cm x 4 cm nodule present on the left lobe of the thyroid. Which of the following is the most likely thyroid pathology in this patient?
AFollicular adenoma
BMedullary carcinoma
CGiant cell thyroiditis
DPapillary carcinoma
EAnaplastic carcinoma
A 74-year-old retired female teacher is referred to the endocrinology clinic. She is very concerned about a large mass in her neck that has progressively enlarged over the past 2 weeks. She also reports a 15 pound weight loss over the last 3 months. She now has hoarseness and difficulty swallowing her food, giving her a sensation that food gets stuck in her windpipe when she swallows. There is no pain associated with swallowing. Her speech is monotonous. No other gait or language articulation problems are noted. Testing for cranial nerve lesions is unremarkable. On palpation, a large, fixed and non-tender mass in the thyroid is noted. Cervical lymph nodes are palpable bilaterally. The patient is urgently scheduled for an ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration to guide management. Which of the following is the most likely gene mutation to be found in this mass?
AActivating mutation of the Ras protooncogene
BInactivating mutation of the p53 tumor suppressor gene
CRET/PTC rearrangement
DBRAF mutation
ERET gene mutation
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