Thyroid disease

Updated Thyroid Nodules and Cancer Guidelines Released

The American Thyroid Association (ATA) has updated its 2009 guidelines on managing thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancers in adults.

“Thyroid nodules are a common clinical problem, and differentiated thyroid cancer is becoming increasingly prevalent,” wrote the guideline’s authors.
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“The aim of these guidelines is to inform clinicians, patients, researcher, and health policy makers on published evidence relating to the diagnosis and management of thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer,” they explained.

In the over 100 evidence-based recommendations outlined in the guidelines, the association highlights instructions for initial management of thyroid cancer, long-term management of differentiated thyroid cancer, and benign thyroid nodules.

  • Under initial management of thyroid cancer, the guidelines list surgical options, radioiodine treatment, thyroid-stimulating hormone treatment with levothyroxine, screening options, and staging risk assessment.
  • Under long-term management of differentiated thyroid cancer, the associated recommended various methods on thyroid hormone therapy. Consideration of personalized or target therapies are also offered in addition to recurrent disease surveillance through serum thyroglobulin and imaging and clinical trial participation.
  • Under benign thyroid nodules, guidance for biopsy criteria and interpretation, nodule management, molecular markers use, and updates for initial evaluation are noted.

“We have developed evidence-based recommendations to inform clinical decision-making in the management of thyroid nodules and differentiated thyroid cancer. They represent, in our opinion, contemporary optimal care for patients with these disorders,” concluded the study’s authors.

The complete guidelines are published in the October issue of Thyroid.

-Michelle Canales Butcher

Reference:

Haugen BR, Alexander EK, Bible KC, et al. 2015 American Thyroid Association Management Guidelines for Adult Patients with Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. Ann Intern Med. 2015 October [epub ahead of print] doi: 10.1089/thy.2015.0020