Minimally invasive surgical techniques in the management of differentiated thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women with approximately 60,220 expected new cases in the United States in 2013, and the incidence continues to increase each year. Fortunately, the majority are well-differentiated thyroid cancers with excellent overall prognosis. Controversy persists regarding the optimal surgical management of differentiated thyroid cancer in terms of the extent of thyroid resection (thyroid lobectomy vs total thyroidectomy) and the utility of prophylactic central neck dissection (pCND) in low-risk PTC, and papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC, defined as <10 mm). Thyroid surgical approaches have progressed from the Kocher open incision to minimally invasive techniques that include endoscopic and robotic thyroidectomy. Overall, these minimally invasive techniques have been shown to be safe, and appear to be associated with improved cosmesis and decreased pain compared to open thyroidectomy.