Role of the Mechanisms of Detection in the Increased Risk of Thyroid Cancer: A Retrospective Cohort Study in an HMO in Buenos Aires

Table 1

Definitions of mechanisms of detection of thyroid cancer.

MECHANISM	DEFINITION
Incidental detection	Unexpected finding of thyroid cancer in an asymptomatic patient during a routine examination, imaging study, or surgical procedure, or a pathological examination of a surgical specimen in a patient with no thyroid mass, no benign thyroid disease, and no family history of thyroid cancer including ultrasounds performed during a multiphase check-up module.
Self-detection	Detection of thyroid cancer by the patient or people outside the healthcare system. This category includes patients with and without symptoms related to the nodule that harbored thyroid cancer.
Medical evaluation	Clinical evaluation with a presumptive diagnosis of thyroid cancer including a physical exam or diagnostic workup of a cervical mass or lymph node detected by a physician belonging to the healthcare system. This category also included findings by a diagnostic cascade for benign thyroid disease.