Is surgery necessary for thyroid tumors?

With the popularization of physical examinations, more and more people are finding thyroid tumors during physical examinations. Many people will have questions: If I have a thyroid tumor, do I have to undergo surgery?

Today, I will give you some basic knowledge about under what circumstances thyroid tumors require surgery.
What is the thyroid gland and what are its functions?

The thyroid gland is located below the Adam's apple and in front of the trachea. It is the largest endocrine organ in the human body and is responsible for synthesizing, storing and secreting thyroid hormones. The main raw materials for synthesizing thyroid hormones are iodine and thyroglobulin.

The main functions include:

1. Increase oxygen consumption and heat production of tissue cells throughout the body;

2. Promote the decomposition of protein, carbohydrates and fat;

3. Promote human growth, development and tissue differentiation;

4. Enhance the excitability of the nervous system, etc.

How many grades of thyroid enlargement can be divided into?

There are three degrees of goiter . A normal thyroid gland cannot be seen or felt. Grade I: The thyroid gland cannot be seen, but can be felt. When swallowing, the lump can move up and down with the neck. Grade II: The goiter can be seen and felt, but it is within the sternocleidomastoid muscle. If you forcefully turn your head to one side, you can see or feel the hard sternocleidomastoid muscle. Grade III: The goiter exceeds the outer edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle.
If you can feel it, you need to go to the hospital to check your thyroid gland.

How to judge whether it is benign or malignant? The most sensitive examination for thyroid nodules is ultrasound, which can generally judge whether it is benign or malignant. The sonographic characteristics of malignant nodules can be manifested as:

1. Solid hypoechoic nodules with unclear boundaries and irregular shapes;

2. Aspect ratio > 1;

3. Sand-like tiny calcification foci or dot-like calcification foci can be seen inside some nodules;

4. Scarce or abundant blood flow signals. Ultrasound doctors classify nodules into 6 categories based on these characteristics. The higher the classification level, the greater the possibility of malignancy. Malignant nodules are of course an absolute indication for surgery, but what about benign nodules?

Only benign nodules that grow to a certain size need to be treated:

1. Dyspnea, dysphagia or hoarseness caused by compression of the trachea, esophagus or recurrent laryngeal nerve;

2. Retrosternal goiter;

3. Huge goiter affects life and work;

4. Patients with hyperfunction secondary to nodular goiter.

Therefore, when we get the thyroid B-ultrasound results and find signs of thyroid tumors, we can make a preliminary judgment on whether it is benign or malignant, and go to the hospital's vascular thyroid surgery department for treatment.

Contributors: Department of Vascular Thyroid Surgery, Zhou Weiyun, Lin Dihua, and Li Jinhuan

Editor: Sun Kai

Reviewer: Chen Rundian