Introduction: There is a dearth of knowledge on the proportion that occult thyroid carcinoma constitutes amongst patients with thyroid cancer in our practice. This study was therefore conducted to review the cases of occult thyroid carcinoma with a focus on the presentation, management, and the outcome of care in a low resource tertiary hospital setting. Materials and Methods: We conducted a retrospective cross-sectional descriptive study of 62 patients who were managed for thyroid cancer over a 15-year-period at the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. The patients who had more than two follow-up visits to the Thyroid Clinic, over the preceding fifteen years were included in this study. The types of surgeries performed on the patients were noted. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. We also identified the various limitations that might have hindered the effective care of such patients. Results: Sixty-two consecutive patients, 12 male (19.4%) and 50 females (80.6%) with a median interquartile age range of 45 years, were diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The surgeries performed on the patients were total thyroidectomy, 48 (77.4%), completion-thyroidectomy, 14 (22.6%), near total thyroidectomy, etc. Occult thyroid cancer constituted 38 (61.3%) of the patients managed for thyroid cancer. The most common histology subtype was papillary carcinoma. We identified late presentation, inadequate oncologic surgery, financial constraint etc., as limitations of optimal care. Conclusions: In view of the proportion of occult thyroid cancer in this cohort of patients, the clinically benign goitres might contain carcinoma or micro-carcinoma. Therefore, an aggressive public health campaign to encourage early presentation of our patients and primary reduction through total thyroidectomy is recommended to improve the outcome of care., {"references":["Alegbeleye BJ, Keskin H. Atypical Presentations of Thyroid Cancer: Analysis of Forty-Eight Cases from a Tertiary Hospital in Cameroon. WW Med. 2019;1(3):68-78. doi: 10.5455/ww.302644239.","Alwaheeb S, Ghazarian D, Boerner SL, Asa SL. Cutaneous manifestations of thyroid cancer: a report of four cases and review of the literature. J Clin Pathol. 2004;57(4):435-8. doi: 10.1136/jcp.2003.012922.","Strate SM, Lee EL, Childers JH. Occult papillary carcinoma of the thyroid with distant metastases. Cancer. 1984;54(6):1093-100. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19840915)54:63.0.co;2-r.","Laskin WB, James LP. Occult papillary carcinoma of the thyroid with pulmonary metastases. Hum Pathol. 1983;14(1):83-5. doi: 10.1016/s0046-8177(83)80050-1.","Koller EA, Tourtelot JB, Pak HS, Cobb MW, Moad JC, Flynn EA. Papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma metastatic to the skin: a case report and review of the literature. Thyroid. 1998;8(11):1045-50. doi: 10.1089/thy.1998.8.1045.","Dahl PR, Brodland DG, Goellner JR, Hay ID. Thyroid carcinoma metastatic to the skin: a cutaneous manifestation of a widely disseminated malignancy. J Am Acad Dermatol. 1997;36(4):531-7. doi: 10.1016/s0190-9622(97)70239-1.","Iftikhar H, Ikram M, Muhammad AY, Nathani KR. Unusual Presentation of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Metastasis. Int Arch Otorhinolaryngol. 2018;22(2):167-70. doi: 10.1055/s-0037-1604038.","Enewold L, Zhu K, Ron E, Marrogi AJ, Stojadinovic A, Peoples GE, Devesa SS. Rising thyroid cancer incidence in the United States by demographic and tumor characteristics, 1980-2005. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009;18(3):784-91. doi: 10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-08-0960.","Boucek J, Kastner J, Skrivan J, Grosso E, Gibelli B, Giugliano G, et al. Occult thyroid carcinoma. Acta Otorhinolaryngol Ital. 2009;29(6):296-304.","Schlumberger MJ. Papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma. N Engl J Med. 1998;338(5):297-306. doi: 10.1056/NEJM199801293380506.","Udelsman R. Is total thyroidectomy the procedure of choice for papillary thyroid cancer? Nat Clin Pract Oncol. 2008;5(4):184-5. doi: 10.1038/ncponc1067.","Merriam-Webster on-line dictionary. Available from: http://www.merriam-webster.com/ (accessed March 2021).","Segen JC. Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002.","Moosa M, Mazzaferri EL. Occult thyroid carcinoma. Cancer J. 1997;10:180-8.","Stedman's Medical Dictionary. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2006.","Sobin LH, Wittekind C. TNM Classification of malignant tumours. 6th ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 2002.","Shaha AR. TNM classification of thyroid carcinoma. World J Surg. 2007;31(5):879-87. doi: 10.1007/s00268-006-0864-0.","Russ G, Leboulleux S, Leenhardt L, Hegedüs L. Thyroid incidentalomas: epidemiology, risk stratification with ultrasound and workup. Eur Thyroid J. 2014;3(3):154-63. doi: 10.1159/000365289.","Kaliszewski K, Diakowska D, Ziętek M, Knychalski B, Aporowicz M, Sutkowski K, et al. Thyroid incidentaloma as a \"PAIN\" phenomenon- does it always require surgery? Medicine (Baltimore). 2018;97(49):e13339. doi: 10.1097/MD.0000000000013339.","Roti E, Rossi R, Trasforini G, Bertelli F, Ambrosio MR, Busutti L, et al. Clinical and histological characteristics of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: results of a retrospective study in 243 patients. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2006;91(6):2171-8. doi: 10.1210/jc.2005-2372.","Fink A, Tomlinson G, Freeman JL, Rosen IB, Asa SL. Occult micropapillary carcinoma associated with benign follicular thyroid disease and unrelated thyroid neoplasms. Mod Pathol. 1996;9(8):816-20.","Behar R, Arganini M, Wu TC, McCormick M, Straus FH 2nd, DeGroot LJ, et al. Graves' disease and thyroid cancer. Surgery. 1986;100(6):1121-7.","Yamamoto Y, Maeda T, Izumi K, Otsuka H. Occult papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. A study of 408 autopsy cases. Cancer. 1990;65(5):1173-9. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19900301)65:53.0.co;2-2.","Vanderlaan WP. The occurrence of carcinoma of the thyroid gland in autopsy material. N Engl J Med. 1947;237(7):221. doi: 10.1056/NEJM194708142370703.","Sampson RJ, Woolner LB, Bahn RC, Kurland LT. Occult thyroid carcinoma in Olmsted County, Minnesota: prevalence at autopsy compared with that in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Cancer. 1974;34(6):2072-6. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197412)34:63.0.co;2-#.","Harach HR, Franssila KO, Wasenius VM. Occult papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. A \"normal\" finding in Finland. A systematic autopsy study. Cancer. 1985;56(3):531-8. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19850801)56:33.0.co;2-3.","Fukunaga FH, Yatani R. Geographic pathology of occult thyroid carcinomas. Cancer. 1975;36(3):1095-9. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(197509)36:33.0.co;2-9.","Bondeson L, Ljungberg O. Occult thyroid carcinoma at autopsy in Malmö, Sweden. Cancer. 1981;47(2):319-23. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19810115)47:23.0.co;2-a.","Bondeson L, Ljungberg O. Occult papillary thyroid carcinoma in the young and the aged. Cancer. 1984;53(8):1790-2. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19840415)53:83.0.co;2-9.","Fukunaga FH, Lockett LJ. Thyroid carcinoma in the Japanese in Hawaii. Arch Pathol. 1971;92(1):6-13.","Olurin EO, Itayemi SO, Oluwasanmi JO, Ajayi OO. The pattern of thyroid gland diseases at Ibadan. Nigerian Medical J. 1973;3(2):58-65.","Block MA. Management of carcinoma of the thyroid: Surgical Progress. Ann Surg. 1976;185:133-44.","Clarke OA. Endocrine Surgery of the Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands. St Louis: The CB Mosby Co; 1985.","Landis SH, Murray T, Bolden S, Wingo PA. Cancer statistics, 1998. CA Cancer J Clin. 1998;48(1):6-29. doi: 10.3322/canjclin.48.1.6.","Afolabi AO, Akute OO, Ogundiran TO. Late Presentation of Goitre Patients in the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria. Niger J Surg. 2004;10(2):59-62.","Ito Y, Higashiyama T, Takamura Y, Miya A, Kobayashi K, Matsuzuka F, et al. Prognosis of patients with benign thyroid diseases accompanied by incidental papillary carcinoma undetectable on preoperative imaging tests. World J Surg. 2007;31(8):1672-6. doi: 10.1007/s00268-007-9131-2.","Botrugno I, Lovisetto F, Cobianchi L, Zonta S, Klersy C, Vailati A, et al. Incidental carcinoma in multinodular goiter: risk factors. Am Surg. 2011;77(11):1553-8.","Afolabi AO, Oluwasola AO, Akute OO, Akang EE, Ogundiran TO, Ogunbiyi JO, et al. Review of fine needle aspiration cytology in the management of goitres in Ibadan, Nigeria. Niger J Clin Pract. 2010;13(2):163-6.","Wang C, Crapo LM. The epidemiology of thyroid disease and implications for screening. Endocrinol Metab Clin North Am. 1997;26(1):189-218. doi: 10.1016/s0889-8529(05)70240-1.","Phitayakorn R, McHenry CR. Incidental thyroid carcinoma in patients with Graves' disease. Am J Surg. 2008;195(3):292-7; discussion 297. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2007.12.006.","Lawal O, Agbakwuru A, Olayinka OS, Adelusola K. Thyroid malignancy in endemic nodular goitres: prevalence, pattern and treatment. Eur J Surg Oncol. 2001;27(2):157-61. doi: 10.1053/ejso.2000.1085.","Osime U. A study of 150 thyroidectomics in University of Benin Teaching Hospital. Ind J Surg. 1984;46:41-50.","Franssila KO, Harach HR. Occult papillary carcinoma of the thyroid in children and young adults. A systemic autopsy study in Finland. Cancer. 1986;58(3):715-9. doi: 10.1002/1097-0142(19860801)58:33.0.co;2-p.","Palit TK, Miller CC 3rd, Miltenburg DM. The efficacy of thyroidectomy for Graves' disease: A meta-analysis. J Surg Res. 2000;90(2):161-5. doi: 10.1006/jsre.2000.5875.","Barakate MS, Agarwal G, Reeve TS, Barraclough B, Robinson B, Delbridge LW. Total thyroidectomy is now the preferred option for the surgical management of Graves' disease. ANZ J Surg. 2002;72(5):321-4. doi: 10.1046/j.1445-2197.2002.02400.x.","Gelmini R, Franzoni C, Pavesi E, Cabry F, Saviano M. Incidental thyroid carcinoma (ITC): a retrospective study in a series of 737 patients treated for benign disease. Ann Ital Chir. 2010;81(6):421-7.","Adewole DA, Adebayo AM, Udeh EI, Shaahu VN, Dairo MD. Payment for Health Care and Perception of the National Health Insurance Scheme in a Rural Area in Southwest Nigeria. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2015;93(3):648-54. doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.14-0245.","Alawode GO, Adewole DA. Assessment of the design and implementation challenges of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Nigeria: a qualitative study among sub-national level actors, healthcare and insurance providers. BMC Public Health. 2021;21(1):124. doi: 10.1186/s12889-020-10133-5.","Eboh A, Akpata GO, Akintoye AE. Health Care Financing in Nigeria: An Assessment of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). Eur J Bus Manag. 2016;8(27):24-34.","Andresen NS, Buatti JM, Tewfik HH, Pagedar NA, Anderson CM, Watkins JM. Radioiodine Ablation following Thyroidectomy for Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: Literature Review of Utility, Dose, and Toxicity. Eur Thyroid J. 2017;6(4):187-196. doi: 10.1159/000468927.","Goldsmith SJ. Radioactive Iodine Therapy of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: Redesigning the Paradigm. Mol Imaging Radionucl Ther. 2017;26(Suppl 1):74-79. doi: 10.4274/2017.26.suppl.08."]}