Diagnosing thyroid cancer with ultrasound

Diagnosing thyroid cancer with ultrasound. Like other organs, the thyroid gland can develop growths, or nodules, that can turn malignant. Thanks to the gland’s accessibility, thyroid nodules are readily detected using ultrasound. Unfortunately, to determine whether a nodule is malignant, a doctor must insert a needle into the patient’s neck and draw out a sample of cells. Not only is the procedure costly (about $1500 in the US), it’s more likely than not to confirm the general finding that most nodules—around 70%—are benign. Malignant nodules are stiffer than either benign nodules or thyroid tissue. Being a mechanical stimulus, ultrasound can sense differences in elasticity. But can it diagnose the malignancy of nodules as well as detect them? According to Yongmin Kim (University of Washington in Seattle and POSTECH in South Korea) and his collaborators, the answer is yes. Kim’s team has devised an algorithm that optimizes the use of routinely...