[Total tyroidectomy in malignant goiter, significance and problems]

Surgical operation of the thyroid gland is a basic operation in the treatment of malignant diseases of thyroid gland. At present, total removal of the thyroid gland (total thyreoidectomy = TTE) has been the most frequently used means of the surgical intervention. TTE has been a unique surgical method for thyroid cancer. The aim our study was to confirm the increasing number of radical operations, how often surprising and unexpected histological findings of carcinoma appear, the incidence rate of carcinoma among the patients being operated on for goiter, which histological findings are most frequently encountered and the survival rate of the patients with carcinoma of the goiter. In our retrospective study, we have collected a set of 233 patients with goiter from 1997 until 1999. Nineteen patients from this group had thyroid cancer: 16 females, 3 males, average age 55.5 years. The histological findings represents 14 papillary carcinomas, 3 folicullar carcinomas, 1 medullary carcinoma and 1 malignant lymphogranuloma. TTE was performed in any case where there was suspicion of thyroid cancer before the operation. In the case of one sided operations, when we had no suspicion of thyroid cancer but histological investigation found cancer, we had to remove the opposite lobus (TTE). However, we have found an increasing rate of thyroid cancer. The unexpected histological finding of carcinoma was reported in 69% of the cases. The number of these cases was higher in the middle 2000 (83%). Clinical stage la, microcarcinoma, was found in 52.9% of papillary carcinomas, and further oncological treatment was not indicated. The number of proper radical operations has been increasing. The high rate of unexpected histological findings of thyroid carcinoma is the main reason for early indication for operation of goiter and the radical extent of the primary operation.