Inside Angle
From 3M Health Information Systems
Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month: A personal story
September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness month, so I thought I would share my personal experience with diagnostic studies for Thyroid Cancer. As someone who suffers from Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism, regular thyroid lab panels and yearly ultrasound studies are a necessity. I have always had benign findings on my ultrasounds, but a few years ago the ultrasound showed an enlarged thyroid nodule. My endocrinologist did not like how the nodule had grown quickly in the year since my previous study, so he felt a biopsy was indicated.
I scheduled what is called a Fine Needle Biopsy or FNA with a local surgeon. During the surgical consultation, the surgeon explained that it was a simple, in-office procedure and did not require anesthesia. A local anesthetic would be used in the area of the biopsy and the biopsies would be performed under ultrasound guidance to assist in locating the nodule. While waiting several weeks for my biopsy appointment, I grew more and more nervous as I read articles about Thyroid Cancer.
Upon arriving for my thyroid biopsy, I was brought to what was no more than an exam room with ultrasound equipment. I was told by the nurse that it only hurts a little, like a pinch when the anesthetic is administered and then pressure when the biopsies are taken. The provider entered the room to administer the anesthetic, and sure enough it was just a “pinch” when he injected the numbing agent. But the biopsy was more than just pressure, it felt like I was being drilled with a drinking straw. I had three biopsies total, which took about 15 minutes, but felt like 15 hours. When it was finally over, I was left with a sensation of being punched in the throat, while having a pit in my stomach over the whole experience.
Next came a two-week wait for the pathology results. The collected nodule cells are sent to a special laboratory for testing by a cytopathologist, who views the cells under a microscope to determine if the cells are benign, malignant or inconclusive. If the results are benign or malignant, the laboratory test is complete and the results are sent back to the surgeon. If the results are inconclusive they are sent for genomic testing to determine the likelihood of the cells being cancerous.
Unfortunately, my results were inconclusive and the additional testing–and waiting–was necessary. Fortunately, in the end the cells were found to be benign. And in the years since, the nodule size has shrunk and I have not had to repeat the biopsy. If I were to have to relive the experience, here are the codes that I would see on my Explanation of Benefits:
Diagnosis code ICD-10: E04.1 Nontoxic single thyroid nodule
Thyroid Ultrasound: CPT: 76536 Ultrasound, soft tissues of head and neck
Surgical Consultation: CPT: 99243 Office consultation for a new/established patient, low complexity, detailed history and exam
Fine Needle Biopsy: CPT: 10022 Fine needle aspiration; with imaging guidance
Ultrasound for FNA: CPT: 76942 Ultrasonic guidance for needle placement
Cytopathology: CPT: 88173 Cytopathology, evaluation of fine needle aspirate; immediate
cytohistologic study to determine adequacy for diagnosis, first
evaluation episode, each site
Genomic assay: CPT: 81545 Oncology (thyroid), gene expression analysis of 142 genes,
utilizing fine needle aspirate, algorithm reported as a
categorical result (e.g., benign or suspicious)
It is estimated that 53,990 adults will be diagnosed with Thyroid Cancer in 2018, with an estimate of 2,060 deaths. Although the survivor rate for Thyroid Cancer is high at 98 percent, it is still a disease that may require surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy or any combination of these treatments. Though the process can be painful, it is important to follow through with the additional testing if nodules are found on your thyroid.
Gail Barackman is a coding analyst at 3M Health Information Systems.
Fascinating first person view of our system. I am sure the two week wait was unbearable. That uncertainty can be devastating.
Thyroid cancer is a disease with an interesting history. As I am sure many of you have seen, there are many more CT scans being done and as a result many more thyroid nodules are found. Many of these are cancer, but the type of cancer that remains indolent and would never harm the patient. Here is an overview of the issue- https://www.endocrineweb.com/professional/thyroid-cancer/thyroid-cancer-overdiagnosed
Thank you for passing this along. Really interesting to read that the NCCN guidelines do not recommend biopsies on nodules less than 1 cm. Although my strong family history cancer may preclude me from that guideline, that information could save a lot of people from unnecessary, painful procedures!