Does a single thyroid cancer require complete resection?

Thyroid cancer is a common endocrine tumor in clinical practice. Whether a complete resection is necessary for a single thyroid cancer depends on a comprehensive judgment based on the specific type of thyroid cancer, as well as the patient's age and physical condition.

1. Necessary situation: If the thyroid cancer is single, it refers to papillary thyroid cancer. This type of thyroid cancer has a low degree of malignancy and a good degree of pathological differentiation. If the surgical indications are met, surgical resection can be considered. If the patient is older or has no contraindications to surgery, total thyroidectomy can also be considered;

2. Situations where it is not necessary: ​​If the thyroid cancer is follicular thyroid cancer or medullary thyroid cancer, total thyroidectomy is generally not necessary. You can choose whether to perform total thyroidectomy based on the pathological stage, the size of the lesion, the degree of lymph node metastasis, etc. If distant metastasis occurs, or if the trachea, esophagus and other adjacent tissues are invaded, total thyroidectomy can also be considered. For thyroid cancer patients with poor differentiation, lymph node metastasis or distant metastasis, radionuclide therapy and thyroid-stimulating hormone suppression therapy are also required after surgery to improve the disease.

Thyroid cancer patients should develop good living and eating habits, eat less spicy and greasy food, avoid staying up late, keep a good mood, and exercise moderately to strengthen their physical fitness. They should also follow the doctor's advice to have regular color Doppler ultrasound examinations to understand the recovery of the disease.