New Guidelines Developed to Manage Thyroid Nodules and Thyroid Cancer

Postoperative staging for thyroid cancer-as for all cancers-is used to:

• Establish a prognosis.
• Tailor decisions about postoperative adjunctive therapy, including radioiodine and thyrotropin suppression.
• Make decisions about the frequency and intensity of follow-up.
• Enable accurate communication between patients and health care professionals.

Application of the AJCC/UICC classification system based on pTNM parameters is recommended for tumors of all types because it provides a useful shorthand method to describe the extent of the tumor. It is also used for hospital cancer registries and epidemiologic studies. It is recommended for all patients with differentiated thyroid cancer. Postoperative clinicopathologic staging systems also are recommended to improve prognostication and to plan follow-up.

©2007 The Triological Society