Ratio of Thyrotropin to Thyroglobulin as a Novel Marker for Differentiating Between Benign and Malignant Thyroid Nodules within Different Bethesda Categories

Objective: We aimed to determine whether the ratio of thyrotropin (TSH) to thyroglobulin (Tg) (TSH/Tg) would be able to asist in predicting malignancy in thyroid nodules. Material and Methods: Euthyroid patients operated between the year 2007 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Patients who previously had thyroid disease or surgery and those with increased levels of anti-thyroglobulin antibodies were excluded from this study. Clinicopathological features, as well as serum TSH, Tg, and TSH/Tg were compared between histopathologically benign and malignant groups. Results: Data related to 370 (60.3%) benign and 244 (39.7%) malignant patients were analyzed. The malignant patients exhibited significantly higher TSH, TSH/Tg, and total thyroid volume, and a lower Tg compared to the benign patients (p