Clinical preliminary study on the correlation between nodular goitre and papillary thyroid carcinoma

Thyroid cancer (TC) is one of the most common solid endocrine malignant tumours. It is more common in women, and its incidence has been increasing yearly. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common TC. Therefore, this study was performed to focus on PTC. According to research conducted in China, the incidence of TC increased by 1.93-fold in Tianjin from 1981 to 2006, while the incidence of PTC increased by 5.7-fold (1). The growth rate of PTC was ranked second among all female malignant tumours (1). In 2006, the incidence of TC was ranked eighth among female malignant tumours (1). By 2012, it was ranked third in incidence among all female malignancies (2). According to the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) guidelines, the number of new-onset TC cases in the United States in 2017 was estimated as 56,870, ranking fifth among female malignancies (3). The increasing incidence of PTC is associated with the popularity of high-resolution ultrasound and the application of fine-needle biopsy, which have led to the early detection of micro papillary thyroid carcinoma (MPTC) (4). However, more importantly, the increase may be closely related to changes in people’s living environment and eating habits (5). Accordingly, an in-depth study of PTC risk factors and clinical features is of great significance for the prevention and early detection of clinical PTC