Thyroid cancer in the new millennium

May/June 2000, Vol.7, No.3 Cancer Control 209 The aftermath of the nuclear disaster at Chernobyl sensitized a large proportion of the general public about not only the importance of thyroid cancer as a disease, but also the need to minimize radiation exposure of children as a preventive measure. However, many physicians, including some oncologists, regard thyroid cancer as a rather puzzling but thankfully uncommon disease. Perhaps this perception is related to the fact that after diagnosis, management tends to be provided by a small proportion of physician practitioners, comprised of specialized surgeons, endocrinologists, and nuclear medicine specialists. Since oncologists are usually not involved in the management decisions for early or localized disease stages of thyroid cancer, they may be uncertain about the optimal treatment approaches and the risk/benefit ratio of different management options. In fact, many oncologists will see patients with thyroid cancer only if the patients develop advanced metastatic disease.