Noninvasive Follicular Thyroid Neoplasm with Papillary-like Nuclear Features (NIFTP): Did We Trade Six for a Half a Dozen?

Excerpt

Recently, Parente et al. [1] reported 5% of lymph node metastases and 1% of distant metastases in 102 patients with “noninvasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features” (NIFTP). It is important to point out that these results were found even using a more rigorous diagnostic criterion, i.e., the absence [1] and not < 1% of papillae [2]. The expertise of the pathologists who revised the histology slides is known and there is no reason to question the adequate observation of the diagnostic criterion [2]. Finally, a similar frequency of lymph node metastases [3, 4] and even distant metastases [3] has been reported recently in other series. In view of these results, Parente et al. [1] join other authors [3, 5] who believe that NIFTP should be considered a low-risk “cancer.” …