ONDAY, May 19 (HealthDay News) -- Testing thyroid nodules for the presence of a lectin molecule called galectin-3 could help improve identification of nodules with cancer and reduce the number of unnecessary surgeries, according to an Italian study.
The standard method of determining whether a nodule is malignant is to examine cells extracted by fine-needle aspiration. About 85 percent of thyroid nodules removed by surgery turn out to be benign.
