What finding would lead the nurse to suspect that this may not be a cancerous thyroid nodule?

If a nurse notices that the thyroid nodule is not associated with any enlarged lymph nodes, this may lead them to suspect that the nodule is not cancerous. Lymph node enlargement can often be a sign of malignancy in thyroid nodules and therefore its absence may indicate that it is benign. Additionally, if imaging tests reveal that the size of the nodule has remained stable over time or has even decreased then this would also suggest that it is likely non-cancerous as tumors typically increase in size. Finally, ultrasound results showing low levels of vascularity can also point towards a benign diagnosis as cancerous tumors tend to have higher blood flow due to their rapid growth rate.