According to the National Cancer Institute, the incidence of thyroid cancer in the US surpassed 950,000 cases, with approximately 43,000 new cases emerging in 2023, accounting for 2.2% of all new cancer diagnoses. Despite the increasing incidence, thyroid cancer remains highly curable, with the number of deaths at 1 in 200,000 Americans.
Because the thyroid is palpable, nodules are fairly obvious and often self-detected, leading to relatively early detection. Thyroid tumors are more commonly self-contained or in situ, meaning their early and complete removal is vital to avoiding metastases (spreading to other areas).
If the thyroid carcinoma is deemed aggressive and is not self-contained, surgical intervention may be recommended to remove the cancerous growth or, occasionally, the entire thyroid gland. In cases where the entire thyroid gland is removed, the physician may use thyroglobulin as a tumor marker to serve as evidence for cancer recurrence in a metastatic tumor.
