Primary thyroid lymphoma: role of ultrasound-guided needle biopsy.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the sonographic findings of primary thyroid lymphoma and evaluate the role of ultrasound-guided biopsy in diagnosing thyroid lymphoma. METHODS: This study included 6 patients (age range, 56-72 years; mean, 62.5 years). We searched the database of our institution and retrospectively collected data on the thyroid lymphomas that were confirmed pathologically. All of the sonograms and medical records were reviewed retrospectively. RESULTS: All 6 patients had an enlarged neck mass and underwent ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy. The most notable sonographic feature of primary thyroid lymphoma was a marked hypoechoic mass compared with the residual thyroid tissue. Among the 6 patients with a diagnosis of thyroid lymphoma, 3 (50%) had a diagnosis of lymphoma by ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration biopsy. Final pathologic results were obtained by ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy (3/6 patients [50%]) or thyroidectomy (3/6 [50%]). Most patients with thyroid lymphoma (5/6 [83.3%]) were found to have diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and were treated with chemotherapy with or without radiotherapy. In 1 patient with follicular lymphoma, diagnosis and treatment were accomplished by total thyroidectomy. CONCLUSIONS: Our results show that ultrasound-guided core needle biopsy can be a safe and accurate method for diagnosing thyroid lymphoma and may be a suitable replacement for diagnostic thyroid surgery.