Thyroid gland diseases are prevalent endocrine disorders worldwide, ranking second only to diabetes. The diagnosis of thyroid disease is on the rise due to increased awareness, particularly among women who are more affected by this chronic non-communicable disease. However, men are not exempt from developing thyroid ailments (10). Thyroid lesions can range from nonneoplastic to neoplastic. The most common cause of thyroid enlargement is multinodular goiter, followed by thyroid tumors (11). While most tumors are benign, they can sometimes mimic malignancy (12). Thyroid cancer, although relatively rare, accounts for 1.5% of all cancers and is the most common type of endocrine cancer, comprising 92% of all endocrine malignancies. The most prevalent types of thyroid malignancies are papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, medullary carcinoma, anaplastic carcinoma, and lymphoma (13).
In this retrospective study, a total of 120 cases of thyroid lesions were examined. The most frequently observed lesions were thyroid goitre, followed by thyroid nodules. These findings align with previously reported results. It is well-documented in the literature that thyroid pathology is more prevalent in females, and our study also confirms this with a female to male ratio of nearly 5 to 1 (14–16). We also investigated the relationship between surgical thyroid lesions and the patient's age, sex, and smoking habits. The results indicated no significant differences in age, sex, or smoking habits among patients with surgical thyroid lesions, as the p-value was greater than 0.05. Therefore, there is no correlation between the patient's age, sex, and smoking habits and the occurrence of surgical thyroid lesions. The literature review also reveals an increasing number of patients undergoing thyroid surgery in recent years, which can be attributed to the overall higher incidence of thyroid pathology (14, 17).
Assuming that the COVID-19 pandemic did not occur, it is believed that the number of operations performed would have been even higher. Unfortunately, this pandemic has caused delays in many planned operations. However, it is important to note that infection with SARS-CoV-2 has been found to impact thyroid function, leading to the acceleration of certain pathological conditions in the thyroid gland (18).
Our study has also reported that adolescent girls are at a higher risk of developing thyroid carcinoma. In a study conducted by Moreno Alfonso et al. in 2022, it was found that 66% of children who underwent thyroid nodule surgery had malignancies. On the other hand, Divarce et al. (19) discovered that 26% of thyroid nodules were malignant.
The literature has consistently shown that papillary carcinoma is the most common histologic variant of thyroid neoplasms, with the majority occurring in the third decade of life. Ariyibi and Duduyemi in Ibadan also reported papillary carcinoma as the most common malignant thyroid neoplasm, albeit at a lower rate of 41.8%, followed by follicular carcinoma at 32.7% (20). Ijomone et al. reported rates of 55% for papillary carcinoma and 30% for follicular carcinoma (21). Similarly, Hussain et al. in Karachi reported a rate of 77.9% for papillary carcinoma and 12.6% for follicular carcinoma, which aligns with the findings of this study (11). In Basrah, Iraq, Abdulkareem recorded rates of 56.6% for papillary carcinoma and 26% for follicular carcinoma, while in Pakistan, Bukhari and Sadiq reported rates of 90.2% for papillary carcinoma and 2% for follicular carcinoma (22, 23). These varying findings may be attributed to the geographic influence of iodine deficiency and its causal relationship with the incidence of follicular carcinoma (24).
In the United States, papillary carcinoma is the most common type of thyroid neoplasm, accounting for 75–85% of cases, followed by follicular carcinoma at 5% (25).
The findings indicated that high blood pressure was the most prevalent pathology among the individuals in the sample, with a rate of 18.3%. Additionally, the most common previous surgery encountered in the research sample was a cesarean section, accounting for 24.2% of cases. Allergic reactions to odors were the most frequently encountered allergic stimuli among the patients in our studies, comprising 33.3% of cases. Genetically, hypertension was the most observed genetic disease among the patients, occurring 25.8% of the time. The most familiar symptom reported by 80% of patients was a neck mass. In terms of diagnosis, a thyroid goitre was the most prevalent diagnosis, accounting for 68.3% of patients. Furthermore, 69.2% of patients underwent complete thyroidectomy. A neck echography was performed on 94.2% of patients, making it the most commonly used investigation. Among patients who underwent histopathology, a BETHESDA category 2 was reported the most frequently, accounting for 44.3% of cases. Regarding post-treatment complications, permanent calcium deficiency was observed in up to 48.3% of patients. Lastly, all patients received pain control medications and antibiotics after surgery.