Introduction to Surgical Treatments of Thyroid Cancers: Surgical Management of Advanced and Metastatic Thyroid Cancers

Thyroid cancer was generally considered rare accounting for 1% of all human cancers. But many recent reports show a rapidly increasing trend in incidence in many countries. Analysis of incidences of thyroid cancer in representative countries in five continents for the period from 1973–1977 and 1998 to 2002 showed an increase in incidence among both males (48%) and females (66.7%) [1]. African countries showed the lowest incidences and the highest incidences and significant upward swing were in Israel and United States. The increase in incidence could also be due to frequent ultrasound and CT imaging, which revealed hitherto undiagnosed small lesions.