My friend had a 1 cm nodule removed immediately from her breast and it turned out to be cancer. Why is it ok just to watch my thyroid nodule and not remove it immediately?
The vast majority of thyroid nodules, generally over 90%, are benign. Furthermore, most types of thyroid cancer, especially the most common types such as well differentiated cancer (papillary and follicular cancer), grow very slowly, and do not usually spread rapidly to other parts of the body, but most often remain confined to the neck. Hence, after appropriate investigations, if there is no evidence for thyroid cancer, it is quite common to simply observe the nodule, with follow-up and re-investigation at periodic intervals. The frequency and type of follow-up may also be influenced in part by the comfort level of the patient with the initial results and management plan.
Related Questions
- My friend had a 9 mm thyroid nodule and was told not to worry, and it turned out to be an aggressive thyroid cancer that spread. Why should I not have my 8 mm nodule removed?
- My friend had a 1 cm nodule removed immediately from her breast and it turned out to be cancer. Why is it ok just to watch my thyroid nodule and not remove it immediately?
- What is possible after a woman has had a breast removed due to cancer?
