New insight in the follow-up strategies of differentiated thyroid cancer

Differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC), either papillary or follicular, has usually a very good prognosis with an overall mortality of less than 10%. In recent decades, the clinical presentation of DTC has been changing from advanced cases requiring intense treatment and surveillance to cancer detected by fortuitous neck ultrasonography requiring less aggressive treatment and follow-up. Given the changing presentation of DTC in the last years, the aim of DTC follow-up is to ensure the most effective and less invasive follow-up for a disease that nowadays is mostly cured just with surgery and is rarely fatal. The concept of "Ongoing Risk Stratification" or "Delayed Risk Stratification" which better define the patient risk based on the results of the initial treatment, can maximize the beneficial effects of aggressive therapy in patients with DTC who are likely to benefit from it, while minimizing potential complications and side effects in low-risk patients who will achieve complete remission.