Follicular and Hürthle cell carcinoma of the thyroid

Follicular and Hürthle cell thyroid cancers account for about one fifth of thyroid cancers in the United States. Diagnosis can be difficult, despite the use of fine needle biopsy, and surgery is often necessary to make a definitive diagnosis. Total thyroidectomy is the treatment of choice, and in the case of follicular cancer, radioiodine ablation is usually performed. Distant metastatic disease can also be treated with radioiodine. For Hürthle cell tumors, radioiodine therapy is unlikely to be beneficial.