[Current orientation in the surgical treatment of cancer of the thyroid]

The authors reviewed their series of thyroid cancers and analyzed possible factors of the low incidence of these neoplasms in their experience. They outline the importance of total thyroidectomy which must be performed as soon as possible. Cervical lymphadenectomy must be reserved only to papillary cancers in which intraoperative histologic examination give the evidence of multiple metastasis of cervical nodes.