How likely is cancer?

[fox74]

I was diagnosed 3 months ago with Hyperthyroidism and Grave's Disease. I had an ultrasound of the thyroid 3 weeks ago due to having difficulty swallowing and choking and coughing spells. It showed that I have a 14mm nodule on the right lower lobe. The doctor ordered a needle aspiration biopsy, which I'm having done in 5 days. How likely is the nodule to be malignant? What else could it be? Does the procedure hurt? I'm a little scared. Thanks

[pep88]

Most nodules are benign.  Like 90 - 95% of them.  That being said. there is no possible way for anyone to answer that question for you without an FNA.  And, although the FNA can help in determining malignancy, it is not always 100% accurate.

I had two very small nodules.  EVERYONE told me about the 90 - 95% thing (people here, docs I consulted with, the doc who did the FNA, and my surgeon), like I just did you.  My FNA was suspicious, and during the surgery, it was confirmed.  Cancer.

Not to be morose with my story, but it just shows that the odds are in your favor, but there's always someone (me) who "gets" to be one of the 5%.

[redheadaussie]

The procedure is uncomfortable but not painful. Just feels a little weird having to lay kind of head down while they tell you to lay still for a few minutes. Feels weird having a needle inside you and prodding about, but the most painful part is afterwards. You get a bit of a bruise and it feels sore for a couple of days. Take some Tylenol or similar and it will fade.
  It really is luck of the draw when it comes to cancer. The percentage numbers really are just a guide. I had one side with indeterminate and it then turned out benign while the other side was Hurthle's Cells, which meant the thyroid was about to go cancerous.
  In the end, rest assured that if it is cancer it is no longer a death sentence. There are many many wonderful people on this forum gone through thyroid cancer of different types (there are many), and they can tell you their survival stories.
The nodule could easily be a cyst too, which is very common, it could be drained at the same time as the biopsy.
  Hope all that eases your mind a little.

[898]

if nodule is "warm" or "hot' (functioning) it should be benign; the nodule of this size is unlikely to cause chocking and coughing spells.