European consensus for the management of patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma of the follicular epithelium

Thyroid carcinoma is rare among human malignancies (<1%) but is the most frequent endocrine cancer, accounting for about 5% of thyroid nodules (1). The latter are very frequent in the general population and, according to the method of detection and the age of the patients, their prevalence may approach 20–50% of the general population, thus representing a daily issue in endocrine clinics. Furthermore, the incidence of thyroid cancer, mainly differentiated, is one of the most rapidly increasing human cancers, at least in the United States (2), with the papillary histotype being the most frequent (nearly 80%). There is a need for uniform diagnostic and treatment strategies for thyroid nodules and…