Diagnostic accuracy of thyroid cytology reporting between a general and a specialist histopathology department, over a five year period

Abstract

In the United Kingdom (UK), thyroid cytology reporting is based on the British Thyroid Association (BTA)/Royal College of Pathologists (RCPath) Thy classification. This includes Thy1 (nondiagnostic), Thy2 (benign), Thy3a (cytological/architectural atypia), Thy3f (suggestive of a follicular neoplasm), Thy4 (suspicious of malignancy) and Thy5 (malignant). This system allows consistent and reproducible reporting of thyroid cytology specimens, and provides a basis for clear communication on which the management of patients with abnormal FNAs can be based.1,2