Because of its relative rarity and favorable outcome, it has not been
feasible to assess medical interventions for thyroid cancer using
randomized prospective trials. The approach to diagnosis and treatment
relies to a great extent on information derived from retrospective
studies. Overall prognosis and survival rates have been edging upward
over the past two decades. This is attributed to a wider acceptance of
total thyroidectomy as the primary surgical strategy. The appropriate
indication of radioiodine therapy remains controversial, and physicians
must be familiar with staging criteria to make educated decisions.
We are now beginning to understand the genetic mechanisms of thyroid
tumor initiation and progression. There are still major challenges
ahead. Thyroid Cancer provides comprehensive updates on the
epidemiology, pathogenesis, diagnosis and treatment of thyroid
neoplasms. Although the material should be of particular interest to
scholars in the field, the contributors have striven to make it of
practical use to physicians who treat patients with thyroid disease.