Advances in the management of thyroid cancer

The incidence of thyroid cancer is rapidly increasing in the United States. A large number of incidentalomas are found during routine head and neck evaluations. The diagnostic workup still revolves around fine needle aspiration biopsy. Ultrasound guided fine needle aspiration biopsy is likely to yield the best results. Surgical resection offers the best treatment choice. Controversy continues in relation to total versus less than total thyroidectomy. The incidence of complications is inversely proportional to the extent of surgery and obviously related to the experience of the operating surgeon. The decision regarding the extent of thyroidectomy should be based on prognostic factors and risk groups. Prognostic factors are well defined, such as age, grade of the tumor, extrathyroidal extension, size, distant metastasis, and histology. Nodal metastasis has minimal implications. Based on prognostic factors, thyroid cancer can be divided into low, intermediate and high risk groups. In the high risk group and in selected intermediate risk patients, radioactive iodine dosimetry and ablation should be considered after total thyroidectomy. PET scanning and the use of recombinant TSH have been major advances in follow-up care for patients with thyroid cancer. Thyroglobulin appears to be a very good tumor marker for follow-up. No major breakthrough is noted in the management of anaplastic thyroid cancer, however, identification of RET mutation has been extremely helpful in evaluating the family members of the patient with medullary thyroid cancer with strong consideration given to total thyroidectomy.