Thyroid Nodule Biopsy Diagnosis

[Uncertain575]

I have had two biopsies done on a thyroid nodule.  The first one came back suspicious for thyroid cancer.  The second one was sent to a different lab and to the first pathologist.  The first pathologist compared the first biopsy to the second one and came up with the same diagnosis--suspicious for thyroid cancer.  The other lab read the biopsy as cancer.   If I go ahead with a thyroidectomy, is it 100% certain that the doctor will find cancer?  I don't understand how two different pathologists can get two different "reads" on these biopsies.  I have had no symptoms, other than the biopsies revealed that I have chronic thyroiditis.  

[MANmom]

The thyroid is notoriously hard to get a firm diagnosis.  I had my FNA and it revealed only "binign follicular clusters" and I still had cancer.  My sister hit the jackpot and was diagnosed on her first try.  898_1 is correct on the %ages...most of the time if they get a cancer diagnosis, they are correct.  The problems come when they do not test the right nodule, or get cells that are suggestive of cancer but not sure...Example, because my cells were follicular and clustering they couldn't tell me for sure it wasn't cancer.  The tumors in that nodule tested were less than 2 mm...like the size of a pinhead, which are very hard to hit with a small needle.  Had they tested the second largest nodule, they would have had a cancer diagnosis, it was pretty much all cancer.  So there are many variables in getting a diagnosis.

[4lynnie]

I have had two biopsies on a cold nodule, 10 years apart, and both came back negative.   The nodule multiplied, still negative biopsy.   Decided to have TT, and two spots of papillary cancer was found on the lobes - not any of the nodules.   I don't think there is a 100% certainty of most things.

[898_1]

Most biopsies are 85 to 90 %  accurate in cancer diagnosis