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Neck lump - Management
Basis for recommendation
People who require referral
- The recommendations regarding admission and referral of people with thyroid lumps are based on expert opinion in guidelines from the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence [NICE, 2005a] and the British Thyroid Association [BTA, 2007].
People who do not require referral
- The information on who does not require referral is based on expert opinion in a guideline from the British Thyroid Association [BTA, 2007].
- In general, nodules measuring more than 1 cm in diameter are more likely to be clinically significant cancers. Nodules less than 1 cm in diameter that require evaluation usually have associated features which are urgent referral criteria. It is unusual that a 1 cm nodule without other worrying features causes morbidity or mortality. The American Thyroid Association suggests that to treat all less than 1 cm in diameter nodules may cause more harm than good and has an unfavourable cost-benefit ratio [American Thyroid Association, 2009].
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