What abnormality is characterized by the presence of enlarged thyroid cells with ground-glass nuclei?

The presence of enlarged thyroid cells with ground-glass nuclei is a distinctive feature of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. The ground-glass appearance is often described as "Orphan Annie" nuclei due to their clear, empty appearance, which results from the presence of a prominent nucleus with finely dispersed chromatin. This cytological characteristic is a key diagnostic criterion when evaluating thyroid lesions.

Papillary carcinoma is the most common type of thyroid cancer and is typically associated with a favorable prognosis. Other histopathological features often observed in papillary carcinoma include nuclear grooves and intranuclear cytoplasmic inclusions. The cancer usually presents as a solitary nodule and can sometimes be multifocal.

In contrast, conditions like follicular adenoma and follicular carcinoma do not exhibit this specific nuclear morphology; instead, they display a different cellular architecture and nuclear characteristics that do not include the ground-glass appearance. Medullary carcinoma, which arises from parafollicular C cells and often secretes calcitonin, has its own distinct histological features and does not present with the abnormality described in the question.

Thus, recognizing the hallmark features of papillary carcinoma, particularly the ground-glass nuclei, is vital for accurate diagnosis and differentiation from other thyroid neoplas