Endocrinology and Metabolism

Review Article

Thyroid
Active Surveillance for Low-Risk Thyroid Cancers: A Review of Current Practice Guidelines: Min Joo Kim, Jae Hoon Moon, Eun Kyung Lee, Young Shin Song, Kyong Yeun Jung, Ji Ye Lee, Ji-hoon Kim, Kyungsik Kim, Sue K. Park, Young Joo Park; Endocrinol Metab. 2024;39(1):47-60. Published online February 15, 2024; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2024.1937

22,068 View
899 Download
25 Web of Science
32 Crossref

The indolent nature and favorable outcomes associated with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma have prompted numerous prospective studies on active surveillance (AS) and its adoption as an alternative to immediate surgery in managing low-risk thyroid cancer. This article reviews the current status of AS, as outlined in various international practice guidelines. AS is typically recommended for tumors that measure 1 cm or less in diameter and do not exhibit aggressive subtypes on cytology, extrathyroidal extension, lymph node metastasis, or distant metastasis. To determine the most appropriate candidates for AS, factors such as tumor size, location, multiplicity, and ultrasound findings are considered, along with patient characteristics like medical condition, age, and family history. Moreover, shared decision-making, which includes patient-reported outcomes such as quality of life and cost-effectiveness, is essential. During AS, patients undergo regular ultrasound examinations to monitor for signs of disease progression, including tumor growth, extrathyroidal extension, or lymph node metastasis. In conclusion, while AS is a feasible and reliable approach for managing lowrisk thyroid cancer, it requires careful patient selection, effective communication for shared decision-making, standardized follow-up protocols, and a clear definition of disease progression.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Active Surveillance for Locoregional Recurrent Differentiated Thyroid Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Hunjong Lim, Se Jin Cho, Jung Hwan Baek
Thyroid®.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Shared Decision-Making for Determining Treatment Strategies in Low-Risk Thyroid Cancer: Protocol of a Multicenter Cluster-Randomized Trial (MAeSTro-SDM)
Eun Kyung Lee, Min Joo Kim, Yul Hwangbo, Jae Hoon Moon, Sun Wook Cho, Young Jun Chai, June Young Choi, Yuh-Seog Jung, Kyu Eun Lee, Eun-Jae Chung, Kyungsik Kim, Su-jin Kim, Woochul Kim, Yoo Hyung Kim, Young Ki Lee, Jinsun Jang, Young Shin Song, Ka Hee Yi,
Journal of Korean Medical Science.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Feasibility and Safety of Active Surveillance in Subcapsular Thyroid Nodules with High Suspicion for Malignancy
Yan Hu, Wei Zhou, Lu Zhang, Weiwei Zhan
Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology.2026; 52(4): 816. CrossRef
Radiofrequency Ablation for Primary Thyroid Cancer
Iram Hussain
Endocrine Practice.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
De-escalation strategies in the management of differentiated thyroid cancer
Mubeen Hussein Arawker, Fitrat Habibullah, Shantanu Baral, Lijun Fu, Ning Sun, Hongting Li, Xinguang Qiu
Endocrine.2026;[Epub] CrossRef
Current Challenges in Imaging-Based Cancer Screening, From the AJR Special Series on Screening
Lars J. Grimm, Danielle E. Kruse, Tina D. Tailor, Karen S. Johnson, Brian C. Allen, Marc D. Ryser
American Journal of Roentgenology.2026; : 1. CrossRef
Proteomic Analysis of Tissue Proteins Related to Lateral Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma
Qiyao Zhang, Zhen Cao, Yuanyang Wang, Hao Wu, Zejian Zhang, Ziwen Liu
Journal of Proteome Research.2025; 24(1): 256. CrossRef
Active Surveillance of Papillary Thyroid Cancer—A Feasibility Experience from a Tertiary Care Centre
Narmada Nangadda, Hetashvi Gondaliya, Deepali Bhat, Anirudh J. Shetty, Kranti S. Khadilkar, Shivaprasad Kumbenahalli Siddegowda, Basavaraj G. Sooragonda, Vijay Pillai, Vidhya Bhushan Rangappa, Vivek Shetty, Yogesh Madhav Dokhe, Trupti C. Kolur, Naveen Ban
Indian Journal of Surgical Oncology.2025; 16(3): 743. CrossRef
Association Between Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease and Thyroid Cancer
Sang Yi Moon, Minkook Son, Jung-Hwan Cho, Hye In Kim, Ji Min Han, Ji Cheol Bae, Sunghwan Suh
Thyroid®.2025; 35(1): 79. CrossRef
Navigating Active Surveillance for Low-Risk PTMC by Standardizing Ultrasound Evaluation: Key Takeaways from the Latest Korean Society of Thyroid Radiology Consensus Statements
Young Joo Park
Clinical Thyroidology®.2025; 37(1): 27. CrossRef
Assessing the Rise in Papillary Thyroid Cancer Incidence: A 38-Year Australian Study Investigating WHO Classification Influence
Steven Weller, Cordia Chu, Alfred King-yin Lam
Journal of Epidemiology and Global Health.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
A Personalized, Risk-Based Approach to Active Surveillance for Prostate Cancer with Takeaways from Broader Oncology Practices: A Mixed Methods Review
Jeroen J. Lodder, Sebastiaan Remmers, Roderick C. N. van den Bergh, Arnoud W. Postema, Pim J. van Leeuwen, Monique J. Roobol
Journal of Personalized Medicine.2025; 15(3): 84. CrossRef
Exploration of immunocytochemical biomarkers related to central lymph node metastasis in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma
Lulu Rong, Jie Wang, Qian Wang, Yanli Zhu, Wenhao Ren
Cytojournal.2025; 22: 18. CrossRef
Study Protocol of Expanded Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study of Active Surveillance on Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma (MAeSTro-EXP)
Jae Hoon Moon, Eun Kyung Lee, Wonjae Cha, Young Jun Chai, Sun Wook Cho, June Young Choi, Sung Yong Choi, A Jung Chu, Eun-Jae Chung, Yul Hwangbo, Woo-Jin Jeong, Yuh-Seog Jung, Kyungsik Kim, Min Joo Kim, Su-jin Kim, Woochul Kim, Yoo Hyung Kim, Chang Yoon Le
Endocrinology and Metabolism.2025; 40(2): 236. CrossRef
2024 International Expert Consensus on US-guided Thermal Ablation for T1N0M0 Papillary Thyroid Cancer
Zhen-long Zhao, Shu-rong Wang, Jennifer Kuo, Bülent Çekiç, Lei Liang, Hossam Arafa Ghazi, Shu-hang Xu, Gerardo Amabile, Song-song Wu, Ajit Yadav, Gang Dong, Ingo Janssen, Bo-qiang Fan, Nobuhiro Fukunari, Jun-feng He, Le Thanh Dung, Song-yuan Yu, Sum Leong
Radiology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Ultrasound and gene-guided microwave ablation vs. surgery for low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma: a prospective observational cohort study
Yunfang Yu, Yuxin Shen, Yujie Tan, Yisikandaer Yalikun, Tian Tian, Qingqing Tang, Qiyun Ou, Yue Zhu, Miaoyun Long
Precision Clinical Medicine.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Global research landscape on active surveillance for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma: a bibliometric analysis
Dong-Shu Kang, Yu-Hao Lin, Jian-Qing Tian
Discover Oncology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
2025 Korean Thyroid Association Clinical Management Guideline on Active Surveillance for Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Eun Kyung Lee, Min Joo Kim, Seung Heon Kang, Bon Seok Koo, Kyungsik Kim, Mijin Kim, Bo Hyun Kim, Ji-hoon Kim, Shin Je Moon, Kyorim Back, Young Shin Song, Jong-hyuk Ahn, Hwa Young Ahn, Ho-Ryun Won, Won Sang Yoo, Min Kyoung Lee, Jeongmin Lee, Ji Ye Lee, Kyo
International Journal of Thyroidology.2025; 18(1): 30. CrossRef
2025 Korean Thyroid Association Clinical Management Guideline on Active Surveillance for Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma
Eun Kyung Lee, Min Joo Kim, Seung Heon Kang, Bon Seok Koo, Kyungsik Kim, Mijin Kim, Bo Hyun Kim, Ji-hoon Kim, Shinje Moon, Kyorim Back, Young Shin Song, Jong-hyuk Ahn, Hwa Young Ahn, Ho-Ryun Won, Won Sang Yoo, Min Kyoung Lee, Jeongmin Lee, Ji Ye Lee, Kyon
Endocrinology and Metabolism.2025; 40(3): 307. CrossRef
Current evidence and strategies for preventing tumor recurrence following thermal ablation of papillary thyroid carcinoma
Ru Li, Luyang Yang, Ming Xu, Baofeng Wu, Qinhao Liu, Qin An, Yuchen Sun, Yi Zhang, Yunfeng Liu
Cancer Imaging.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Study Protocol of Expanded Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study of Active Surveillance on Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma (MAeSTro-EXP) (Endocrinol Metab 2025;40:236-46, Jae Hoon Moon et al.)
Eun Kyung Lee, Jae Hoon Moon, Young Joo Park
Endocrinology and Metabolism.2025; 40(4): 655. CrossRef
The association between composite inflammatory indicators and the clinicopathological characteristics of differentiated thyroid carcinoma
Li-Yuan Yang, Li-Peng Yang
Frontiers in Molecular Biosciences.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Sorveglianza attiva nei noduli tiroidei: pro e contro
Giulia Brigante, Gloria Agrimonti, Nicolò Bacchi, Francesco Costantino, Roberta Sueri, Vincenzo Rochira, Manuela Simoni
L'Endocrinologo.2025; 26(5): 623. CrossRef
Microwave Ablation versus Surgery for Low-Risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Comparable Long-Term Oncologic Outcomes
Iram Hussain
Clinical Thyroidology®.2025; 37(9): 328. CrossRef
The effect of thyroid nodule location in ultrasound on the diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma
Jia-fei Hu, Jun Xu, Li-ping Gao, Xiao-lin Shen, Yan-li Wang, Min-juan Wu, Ling Zhang
Discover Oncology.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
Low-risk thyroid cancer: surgery or active surveillance—an application of shared decision-making: a narrative review
Min Joo Kim, Eun Kyung Lee, Sun Wook Cho, Yoo Hyung Kim, Kyu Eun Lee, Su-jin Kim, Woochul Kim, Eun-Jae Chung, Jungirl Seok, Yul Hwangbo, Young Ki Lee, Jinsun Jang, Junsun Ryu, Yuh-Seog Jung, Chang Hwan Ryu, Jae Hoon Moon, June Young Choi, Hyeong Won Yu, K
Journal of the Korean Medical Association.2025; 68(9): 573. CrossRef
Thyroid Cancer: Pathogenesis, Clinicopathology, Diagnosis, and Management
Yu‐Dong Li, Qing‐Yao Ye, Yan‐Xing Chen, Xia‐Rong Hu
MedComm.2025;[Epub] CrossRef
2023 Update of the Korean Thyroid Association Guidelines for the Management of Thyroid Nodules
Eun Kyung Lee, Young Joo Park
Clinical Thyroidology®.2024; 36(4): 153. CrossRef
Association between exercise habits and incident type 2 diabetes mellitus in patients with thyroid cancer: nationwide population-based study
Jiyun Park, Jin-Hyung Jung, Hyunju Park, Young Shin Song, Soo-Kyung Kim, Yong-Wook Cho, Kyungdo Han, Kyung-Soo Kim
BMC Medicine.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Prediction of Recurrent Laryngeal Nerve Invasion in Thyroid Cancer by Ultrasound
Jin Hyang Jung, Eunji Kim, Byung Ju Kang
Journal of Surgical Ultrasound.2024; 11(1): 18. CrossRef
Advances in clinical research on ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma
Hua Xu, Jin-yan Yang, Xing Zhao, Zhe Ma
Frontiers in Oncology.2024;[Epub] CrossRef
Systemic therapy for differentiated thyroid cancer with distant metastasis
Eun Kyung Lee
Journal of the Korean Medical Association.2024; 67(7): 484. CrossRef

Case Reports

A Case of Incidental Struma Ovarii Confounded with the Metastasis of Papillary Thyroid Cancer.: Young Hee Jung, Sung Min Jung, Jong Min Lee, Yi Sun Jang, In Suk Lee, Jong Ok Kim, Hye Soo Kim; Endocrinol Metab. 2012;27(3):227-231. Published online September 19, 2012; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2012.27.3.227

2,679 View
24 Download

Abstract PDF: A focal radioactive iodine uptake in the pelvis of a patient with differentiated thyroid cancer needs differential diagnosis besides bone metastasis. Struma ovarii is a rare monodermal ovarian teratoma composed predominantly of mature thyroid tissue; 5-10% of these tumors are malignant. As diagnosis and surgery of thyroid cancer have increased recently, incidental cases of struma ovarii, after radioactive iodine treatment, were occasionally reported. Rare cases of ovary metastasis of thyroid cancer were also reported. We report a case of benign struma ovarii incidentally found in a patient with papillary thyroid cancer. The patient showed a sustained high level of thyroglobulin and focal radioactive iodine uptake in the right pelvis, confused with distant metastasis, after total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine treatment.

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Manifesting as an Autonomously Functioning Thyroid Nodule.: Ji Hyun Kim, Gyeong Jae Na, Ki Won Kim, Hee Ja Ko, Sung Wan Jeon, Yeo Joo Kim, Sang Jin Kim, Hyeun Duk Jo, Chang Jin Kim; Endocrinol Metab. 2012;27(1):59-62. Published online March 1, 2012; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2012.27.1.59

67,584 View
35 Download
3 Crossref

Abstract PDF

Hyperfunctioning thyroid carcinoma is very rare. Hence, radionuclide imaging of thyroid hot nodules usually suggests a benign tumor, and less than 4% of cases have been reported as malignant. We would like to present a case of a hyperfunctioning papillary thyroid carcinoma that was initially treated with radioactive iodine. A 58-year-old woman was referred to our hospital for palpable thyroid nodule and a 5-kg weight loss within 6 months. Thyroid function test revealed thyrotoxicosis, and thyroid autoantibodies were absent. 99mTc thyroid scintigraphy showed a 2 x 2 cm-sized hyperactive hot nodule at the left lobe. Despite radioactive iodine treatment with a dose of 10 mCi 131I, thyroid function did not improve. Fine needle aspiration revealed papillary thyroid cancer. The patient underwent total thyroidectomy. Although clinical features and thyroid scans suggest a benign nodule, the possibility of malignancy should not be ruled out. Malignant thyroid hot nodules are rare; however, its possibility should be taken into account. Therefore, we suggest that ruling out malignancy by existing diagnostic guidelines can misdiagnose even a typical case with benign features. As thyroid nodule detection is getting sensitive and accurate, we present this case to discuss whether additional diagnostic approaches would be necessary for thyroid nodules.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

Ultrasonographic Characteristics of the Hyperfunctioning Thyroid Nodule and Predictive Factors for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Suppression
Won Sang Yoo, Hoon Sung Choi
International Journal of Thyroidology.2019; 12(1): 35. CrossRef
Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Presented as a Hot Nodule with Hyperthyroidism
Sung Hye Kong, Seo Young Lee, Ye Seul Yang, Jae Hoon Moon
International Journal of Thyroidology.2016; 9(1): 47. CrossRef
Follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma: an unusual cause of thyrotoxicosis
David Owen Rees, Victoria Angharad Anthony, Keston Jones, Jeffrey W Stephens
BMJ Case Reports.2015; 2015: bcr2014207091. CrossRef

A Case of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma Combined with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma in the Thyroid.: Kang Il Cheon, Kyung Wook Lee, Ji Oh Mok, Yeo Ju Kim, Hyung Kyu Park, Chul Hee Kim, Sang Jin Kim, Dong Won Byun, Kyo Il Suh, Myung Hi Yoo, Hee Kyung Kim, Youn Woo Ko; J Korean Endocr Soc. 2006;21(1):85-89. Published online February 1, 2006; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3803/jkes.2006.21.1.85

3,053 View
23 Download
1 Crossref

Abstract PDF

Metastasis to the thyroid from distant cancer is rarely diagnosed clinically and renal cell carcinoma is the most common group of neoplasm to metastasize to the thyroid. Papillary thyroid carcinoma is known as the most frequent primary thyroid cancer. But coexistence with metastatic renal cell carcinoma to thyroid and papillary thyroid carcinoma is very rare. We are reporting this highly unusual case of metastatic renal cell carcinoma to thyroid, which harbored papillary thyroid cancer. To our knowledge, this is the first case reported in Korea. A 57-year-old woman presented with hoarseness and palpable anterior neck mass. She had a history of renal cell carcinoma of right kidney, which had been resected 10 years previously and had undergone lower anterior resection due to sigmoid colon cancer 2 months before. Fine needle aspiration cytology suggested follicular neoplasm, and total thyroidectomy was performed. The pathology from the thyroid nodules showed papillary thyroid cancer combined metastatic renal cell carcinoma.

Citations

Citations to this article as recorded by

A Case of Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma to Thyroid Gland Mimicking as Anaplastic Thyroid Carcinoma
Sooyeon Jo, Hyung Gyun Na, Chang Hoon Bae, Yoon Seok Choi
Korean Journal of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.2021; 64(10): 755. CrossRef

First
Prev
Page of 1
Next
Last

Search