Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39551186›Full record

ArticleEndocrine practice : official journal of the American College of Endocrinology and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists2025

Loss of Follow-up for Thyroid Nodules in Patients Living in Poverty.

Zhixing Song, Sanjana Balachandra, Christopher Wu, Ramsha Akhund, Jessica Fazendin, Brenessa Lindeman, Herbert Chen, Andrea Gillis

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Endocrine practice : official journal of the American College of Endocrinology and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Ablative Technologies for Thyroid Nodules: A Health Technology Assessment.Ontario health technology assessment series · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Article
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

8 authors.

Zhixing SongDepartment of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Sanjana BalachandraDepartment of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Christopher WuDepartment of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Ramsha AkhundDepartment of Otolaryngology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee.
Jessica FazendinDepartment of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Brenessa LindemanDepartment of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Herbert ChenDepartment of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama.
Andrea GillisDepartment of Surgery, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, Alabama. Electronic address: agillis@uabmc.edu.

Funding

TRAINING AND CAREER DEVELOPMENTU54CA118948 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI UPENDER MANNE, Erica Michelle Stringer-Reasor · 2005 to 2026
$26.6M
Surgical Oncology Research Training ProgramT32CA229102 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM · PI HERBERT CHEN · 2018 to 2026
$3.2M
NCI NIH HHS T32 CA229102NCI NIH HHS U54 CA118948
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionInadequate surveillance of thyroid nodules can lead to cancer progression. This study examines patient characteristics that correlate with failure to follow up after thyroid nodule detection.

methodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of patients who underwent fine needle aspiration for thyroid nodules and studied subsequent thyroid ultrasounds, clinic visits, and thyroidectomies longitudinally. Poverty areas are census tracts where at least 20% of residents live below the poverty line. Logistic regression was used to assess associations between patient characteristics and follow-ups, with results expressed as odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs.

resultsOf 2446 patients included, the majority were White (62.6%) and female (78.5%), with an average age of 55 ± 16 years. 28% patients were from high poverty areas. Benign findings (Bethesda II) were observed in 73.5% of the biopsies. 42.5% of patients underwent at least one follow-up ultrasound, 59% had at least one clinic visit, and 24.4% underwent a thyroidectomy, with a 34.8% malignancy rate on surgical pathology. Patients from high poverty areas were significantly less likely to receive follow-up ultrasounds (35.7% vs 45.9%, P < .001) or clinic visits (53.7% vs 61.2%, P = .001). Multivariable analysis revealed that poverty was significantly associated with not having follow-up in all patients (OR = 0.78, 95% CI 0.64-0.96) and non-benign biopsy (Bethesda 3 or higher) results (OR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.24-0.81).

conclusionThere is a notable disparity in the follow-up of thyroid nodules, with patients from high poverty areas being more susceptible to loss of follow-ups.

Indexed as

Lost to Follow-UpPovertyThyroid NoduleAdultAgedBiopsy, Fine-NeedleFemaleFollow-Up StudiesHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesThyroidectomyThyroid NeoplasmsUltrasonographyloss to follow-uppovertythyroid cancerthyroid nodule

Identifiers

PMID39551186
PMCPMC12320506

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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.