A review f thyroid cancer at KNH

Abstract

This a report of thirty patients who presented at Kenyatta National Hospital( KNH),Uinversity Of Nairobi (UON) during the three year period January 1974-December 1976 with a diagnosis of thyroid carcinoma.Fourteen had follicular, eight papiilary,four anaplastic,and four medullary types. Eight patients had metastatic deposits in lymph nodes,lung,or bone and majority of these were anaplastic.Twenty patients received surgical treatment.Five total thyroidectomy, 12 had subtotal thyroidectomy,3 had hemithyroidectomy and 2 had radioactive iodine treatment without surgery. Most patients received subtotal thyroidectomy with or without radiotherapy. The anaplastic cancers had the poorest prognosis, all dying within six months of diagnosis.Early diagnosis with frozen section the papillary/follicular possess good prognosis if appropriate surgical treatment of subtotal or hemithyroidectomy is done.