Summary

• Most commonly presents as an asymptomatic thyroid nodule detected by palpation or ultrasound in a woman in her 30s or 40s.
• The most important diagnostic test is fine-needle aspiration.
• Treatment is usually total thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine ablation and TSH suppression (papillary or follicular).
• Treatment differs and must be tailored for uncommon types of thyroid cancer such as medullary, lymphoma, or anaplastic.
• Prognosis depends on risk-group stratification.