Follicular-cell derived thyroid carcinoma is the most common of the endocrine malignancies, representing almost 2% of all reported human cancers, and is responsible for more deaths than all other endocrine malignancies combined. Nevertheless, the vast majority of patients with this disease, is destined to be cured, or to live with their disease for many years, and these patients have an essentially normal average life expectancy. Thyroid carcinoma, however, exhibits one of the widest ranges of malignant potential of any known cancer, making follow-up of these patients complex. Fortunately, clinical, surgical and pathologic features allow accurate disease staging and prognostication for individual patients, rapidly and with minimal effort. This staging process should influence all aspects of the management of these patients, and should determine the aggressiveness of surveillance for recurrent disease. This process permits the identification of low-risk individuals, whose follow-up requirements are simple, non-invasive and inexpensive. Similarly, higher risk patients can be targeted for progressively more aggressive and more frequent surveillance for recurrent disease.
展开▼
