Well-differentiated thyroid cancer — are you overtreating your patients?

Abstract

Over the last 50 years there has been a move towards more aggressive therapy for well-differentiated thyroid cancer. In recent times, however, international guidelines have shown some trend back towards a more conservative approach to treating low-risk patients. This review explores how the state of the art in well-differentiated thyroid cancer research has evolved in tandem with improvements in riskstratification. A focus on the surgical approach to the primary thyroid tumour and the regional lymphatics in addition to the interplay between surgical decision making and the use of radioactive iodine are presented to allow the reader to determine whether they are now overtreating patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer. (Endokrynol Pol 2016; 67 (1): 60–66)