Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid

Cancer of the thyroid gland occurs infrequently, and, although the majority of lesions are papillary and well differentiated, some patients do die of the disease. Since mortality and morbidity for thyroidectomy are low, surgical treatment is advised for patients who have nodular goiters that might be cancerous and for those who have goiters that are suspected of being cancerous. Thyroidectomy is the treatment of choice for patients with known papillary thyroid cancer. Only when lymphatic metastases are present should a complimentary modified neck dissection be performed in addition to thyroid resection. Prognosis is related to extent of the primary lesion rather than to presence or absence of regional nodal metastases. Patients with intrathyroidal lesions fare better than those with extrathyroidal extension. Thyroid surgery in the hands of experienced surgeons should carry an exceedingly low risk and be capable of providing excellent long-term cure and palliation of thyroid cancer.