Evidence map›Paper›PMID 23737541›Full record

ArticleThe Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism2013

A standardized assessment of thyroid nodules in children confirms higher cancer prevalence than in adults.

Anjuli Gupta, Samantha Ly, Luciana A Castroneves, Mary C Frates, Carol B Benson, Henry A Feldman, Ari J Wassner, Jessica R Smith, Ellen Marqusee, Erik K Alexander and 12 more

Open access · bronzeAbstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of clinical endocrinology and metabolism, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 100 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
100citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
12.1field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

100 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 289 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Guideline
  4. Guideline
  5. Pooled it
  6. Management Guidelines for Children with Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer.Thyroid : official journal of the American Thyroid Association · 2015
    Guideline
  7. Trial
  8. Review
  9. Review
  10. Observational
  11. Review
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Who Is Diagnosing Pediatric Thyroid Nodules? A Tertiary Children's Hospital Review.Otolaryngology--head and neck surgery : official journal of American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery · 2025
    Article
  17. Review
  18. Review
  19. Potential determinants and predictors of hypoparathyroidism after total thyroidectomy in pediatric patients.European archives of oto-rhino-laryngology : official journal of the European Federation of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (EUFOS) : affiliated with the German Society for Oto-Rhino-Laryngology - Head and Neck Surgery · 2025
    Article
  20. Association between long-term exposure to PMEnvironmental health : a global access science source · 2025
    Article

40 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

22 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Anjuli GuptaThyroid Program of the Division of Endocrinology, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA.
Samantha Ly
Luciana A Castroneves
Mary C Frates
Carol B Benson
Henry A Feldman
Ari J Wassner
Jessica R Smith
Ellen Marqusee
Erik K Alexander
Justine Barletta
Peter M Doubilet
Hope E Peters
Susan Webb
Biren P Modi
Harriet J Paltiel
Harry Kozakewich
Edmund S Cibas
Francis D Moore
Robert C Shamberger
P Reed Larsen
Stephen A Huang
Harvard University · USBoston Children's Hospital · USBrigham and Women's Hospital · USDana-Farber Cancer Institute · US

Funding

Research in Development Endocrinology and MetabolismT32DK007699 · NIDDK · CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL BOSTON · PI JOEL N HIRSCHHORN · 1992 to 2026
$7.1M
TRAINING GRANT IN ACADEMIC ENDOCRINOLOGYT32DK007529 · NIDDK · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI Ursula B. Kaiser, Anand Vaidya · 1986 to 2026
$6.3M
Regulation of the human Dio3 geneR01DK076099 · NIDDK · BOSTON CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · PI HUANG, STEPHEN A · 2007 to 2010
$1.2M
NIDDK NIH HHS DK007529NIDDK NIH HHS DK007699NIDDK NIH HHS DK076099NIDDK NIH HHS R01 DK076099NIDDK NIH HHS T32 DK007529NIDDK NIH HHS T32 DK007699
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

contextThyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignancy, but due to its rare occurrence in the pediatric population, the cancer risk of childhood thyroid nodules is incompletely defined, and optimal management of children with suspected nodules is debated.

objectiveThe aim was to study the presenting features and cancer risk of sporadic childhood thyroid nodules using a standardized clinical assessment and management plan. DESIGN AND

settingBoston Children's Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital collaborated to create a multidisciplinary pediatric thyroid nodule clinic and implement a standardized assessment plan. Upon referral for a suspected nodule, serum TSH was measured and hypothyrotropinemic patients underwent (123)I scintigraphy. All others underwent thyroid ultrasonography, and if this confirmed nodule(s) ≥ 1 cm, ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration was performed. Medical records were retrospectively reviewed and compared to a control population of 2582 adults evaluated by identical methods. PATIENTS AND

resultsOf 300 consecutive children referred for the initial evaluation of suspected thyroid nodules from 1997 to 2011, 17 were diagnosed with autonomous nodules by scintigraphy. Neck ultrasonography performed in the remainder revealed that biopsy was unnecessary in over half, either by documenting only sub-centimeter nodules or showing that no nodule was present. A total of 125 children met criteria for thyroid biopsy, which was performed without complication. Their rate of cancer was 22%, significantly higher than the adult rate of 14% (P = .02).

conclusionsNeck ultrasonography and biopsy were key to the evaluation of children with suspected thyroid nodules. Although the relative cancer prevalence of sonographically confirmed nodules ≥ 1 cm is higher in pediatric patients than adults, most children referred for suspected nodules have benign conditions, and efforts to avoid unnecessary surgery in this majority are warranted.

Indexed as

AdolescentAdultBiopsyChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMalePrevalenceRetrospective StudiesThyroid GlandThyroid NeoplasmsThyroid NoduleUltrasonography

Identifiers

PMID23737541
PMCPMC3733863
OpenAlexW2055658941

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.