Managing the increasing diagnosis of papillary micro-cancer of thyroid

Abstract

There has been an increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer in the last decade, mainly due to the increase in imaging. A majority of the cases are for papillary cancers <1 cm. Mortality from thyroid cancer has stayed stable, thus, there is a large pool of papillary micro-cancer of thyroid in the general population without clinical significance. For these cancers a different approach is needed and active surveillance or less aggressive management should be offered as options. Controlled studies of minimally invasive procedures such as ethanol ablation are needed. If surgery is chosen, lobectomy alone should be adequate. Cases of occult papillary micro-cancer with local and distant metastases are very rare and should be managed according to the staging and risk category of the disease.

Keywords:

• epidemiology
• ethanol ablation
• papillary cancer
• thyroid lobectomy
• thyroid surgery

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The author has no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.