Aggressive features in some small thyroid tumors increase the risk for metastasis

Although papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most common form of thyroid malignancy, it is considered to be an indolent disease that progresses slowly and has an excellent prognosis. Patients, therefore, may be monitored on a regular basis rather than undergo a surgical procedure at the outset. But results from a new large-scale study show that in nearly 20 percent of patients, papillary thyroid tumors less than 1 cm in size had pathological signs of more aggressive disease that increased the risk that these patients might develop distant metastasis (spread of the disease to other areas of the body away from the primary site of cancer). The study demonstrates the need for developing sophisticated tests that will find patients with these pathological signs early on and for them to be counseled on all treatment options, including immediate surgical removal of part or all of the thyroid gland. The research study appears in an “article in press” on the Journal of the American College of Surgeons website in advance of print.
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