In 1500, a renowned artist named Leonardo da Vinci was the first who recognized and drew the thyroid gland. In 1834, Robert Graves was the first who described a syndrome of palpitation, goiter, and exophthalmos. In 1947, Cope, Rawson, and McArthur were the first who described the usage of radioactive iodine for demonstration of a "hot"<unk> . In 1948, T. Templa, J. Aleksandrowicz, and M. Till were the first who described the usage of fine needle thyroid biopsy as a diagnostic method for<unk> s. There are various methods for classifying a<unk> . A method has been developed by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) to address terminology and other issues related to thyroid fine-needle aspiration (FNA), called "The Bethesda System for Reporting Thyroid Cytopathology (TBSRTC)".<unk> s may also be classified based on their ultrasound properties according to the TIRAD classification method. The pathogenesis of a<unk>  may differ based on the type of the<unk> , and whether it is malignant or benign. Basically<unk> s may develop secondary to hyperplasia, mutations and resultant carcinoma, excess colloid accumulation, or from inflammation of thyroid tissue. Genetic mutation is considered as one of the most important mechanisms of developing<unk> s, especially neoplastic<unk> s. The major causes of<unk>  development include, multinodular (sporadic) goiter, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, cysts, macrofollicular/microfollicular adenomas, childhood radioiodine exposure, familial history, and gene mutations include N&H ras, RET, Gsp, C-MET (α and β subunit), TRK, EGF / EGF-R, and P53 mutation. Neck masses can be mistaken for<unk> s. The most important neck masses that can be mistaken with<unk> s include, thyroglossal duct cyst, parathyroid cancer, parathyroid cyst, and branchial cleft cyst. While the diagnosis of a<unk>  is established,<unk>  should be differentiated based on benign or malignant features and the type of<unk> . Worldwide, the incidence of<unk>  ranges from as low of 40,000 per 100,000 persons to a high of 71,000 per 100,000 persons with an average incidence of 50,000 per 100,000 persons. The incidence of thyroid cancer is estimated to be a total number of 48,288 cases annually in United states. Common risk factors associated with<unk> s include, older age, iodine deficiency, previous history of iodine deficiency and hypothyroidism, living in iodine deficient areas, family history of autoimmune diseases, multiparity, and smoking. A solitary<unk>  may become symptomatic if it grows rapidly due to hemorrhage or malignancies, invades laryngeal nerves, compressing nearby structures, and secretory<unk> s that produce TSH.<unk> s may be a manifestation of thyroid cancer, that usually develops in the 6th decade of life, and start with symptoms such as weight loss, fatigue, and hoarseness. Without treatment, the patient with benignnodules may remain asymptomatic, while the patients with thyroid neoplasm may develop distant metastasis, which may eventually lead to death. The most common complications of<unk> s are hoarseness, horner syndrome,<unk>  rupture, needle track seeding, hemorrhage/hematoma, dysphagia, upper airway obstruction, pain, skin burn, vasovagal reaction, hypothyroidism, transient thyrotoxicosis, anaphylactic reaction, thromboembolism, and pneumothorax. Physical examination should focus on the thyroid gland and the lateral and central neck and should assess for supraclavicular and submandibular adenopathy. In case of active hot<unk> s that produce thyroid hormones, antithyroid drugs should be administered, that include beta-blockers, antithyroid drugs (methimazole,carbimazole,propylthiouracil), radioactive iodine, and thyroidectomy. If the<unk>  excision treatment (lobectomy, isthmectomy, and total thyroidectomy) is not curative, then treatment with postoperative radioactive iodine (RAI) remnant ablation and recombinant human TSH–mediated therapy is recommended. Surgical management of<unk>  is performed in case of non-diagnostic or suspicious biopsy, for removal of primary thyroid cancer or for thyroid cancer staging for radioactive ablation and serum thyroglobulin monitoring. Primary prevention of<unk>  is aimed at prevention of thyroid cancer. Avoidance of exposure to radiation and monitoring the population with an increased risk of development of a malignant<unk>  play major roles in primary prevention. Secondary prevention of<unk> s focuses on prevention of recurrence of<unk> s. Different prevention strategies may be used depending upon whether the<unk>  is benign or malignant. In case of  a malignant<unk> , the major focus is on the prevention of recurrence after removal of a primary<unk> . Post-operative periodic monitoring with serum thyroglobulin levels, radioactive iodine scanning, neck ultrasound and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) may decrease the chances of recurrence.
Thyroid nodule
Thyroid adenoma
Parathyroid cancer
Nodular thyroid disease
Thyroid cancer
Papillary thyroid cancer
Thymoma
Primary thyroid lymphoma