It is not as lethal as some other cancers, causing 12,000 deaths per year. However, benign thyroid growths are very common and it is important to distinguish them from cancers. Fine needle aspiration biopsy, an office procedure, has been available for the past 10-15 years, making it much easier to diagnose benign or malignant growths and to greatly reduce the number of thyroid operations. The treatment of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism is straightforward once the disease is diagnosed, due to the great advances in testing and treatment resulting from endocrine research. Although we have many proven methods to treat thyroid disorders, we do not yet fully understand the causes of benign and malignant goiter, autoimmune thyroid disease, and the troublesome problems of Graves' eye disease.
Research focuses on many aspects of thyroid disorders.
There are exciting new studies investigating the causes of thyroid cancer. A new synthetic hormone preparation has just been FDA approved for the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer following initial surgery. This is just one example of how endocrine research forms the basis for advances in treatment. Because thyroid disorders are so common, they serve as an ideal model for bringing the discoveries of the laboratory to the care of millions of patients.