[Croatian Thyroid Society guidelines for the management of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer]

With the introduction of ultrasound and fine-needle aspiration biopsy at the beginning of 1980s, dramatic changes in the clinical perception of thyroid diseases happened, especially thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. The prevalence of thyroid nodules in the population according to ultrasound findings ranges from 20-50%, while around 5% of thyroid nodules harbour cancer. During the past decades significant increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer was recorded worldwide, mainly due to increase in the incidence of papillary thyroid cancer, probably due to improved diagnostics. Many thyroid societies developed guidelines for the management of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. An interdisciplinary team of experts of the Croatian Thyroid Society studied guidelines of other thyroid societies and international publications, and according to our tradition and clinical practice developed the Guidelines for the Management of Patients with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. The guidelines were published at Croatian Thyroid Society web page--www.stitnjaca.org, for open discussion and recommendations. Finally, the guidelines were accepted.