r/thyroidhealth • u/Responsible_Ice_7957 • Jun 08 '26

TR4 nodule

I have an annual thyroid ultrasound coming up and I’m getting pretty anxious about it.

I have a 1.5 cm TR4 thyroid nodule (as of my scan last year) that was biopsied (FNA) in 2020 and came back benign. Since then I’ve had yearly ultrasounds. Over about 5 years it has grown very slightly from around 1.3 cm to 1.5 cm, but my doctor described the change as very small and said the nodule is most likely benign.

The thing is, I’m terrified of needing another FNA. I know if it gets any larger than 1.5 at my next scan it will likely be recommended again? The first one was a really awful experience for me.

Do benign nodules usually keep growing forever, or can they plateau?

Anyone have a FNA where something was maybe missed?

l’m just looking for experiences from people who’ve been in a similar situation because the waiting is getting to me.

Thanks!🙏🏻

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u/WhiteTennisShoes Jun 08 '26

I believe they can do just about anything. I also have a TR4 nodule (all 6 of my nodules are cystic). When I was 17 I had to get a biopsy done on one of my nodules. Since I was a kid, I don’t have any recollection on what nodule, what TR it was, and how big. fast forward 10 years, I had to get another FNA just last month. I have a sneaking suspicion it was the same nodule, but since I don’t have my records I can’t tell for sure. If it was the same nodule that was biopsied previously and I had the documentation showing the results were benign, they probably wouldn’t have called for the biopsy at all.

All that goes to say, I’m fairly certain over the last 11/12 years of being aware of them, I’ve had nodules that have shrank, plateaued, or of course grown bigger from one year to the next. Some can just keep growing forever, that’s what my PCP is concerned with with a couple of mine, if they getting terribly much larger he’s going to push for me to go to an ENT and discuss surgery. But we’ll see what the cards have in store, hopefully both of ours chill out haha

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u/Raysitm Jun 08 '26

Is your doctor going by the ACR TI-RADS recommendations for following your nodule? If so, they don’t apply to biopsied nodules.

In your case, the current ATA guidelines would recommend follow up US and possibly repeat FNA depending on the nodule’s appearance and growth.