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Improvements in thyroid testing are leading a reduction in surgeries

Category: Thyroid Diseases

Thyroid cancer is growing to become one of the more common forms of the disease. Additionally, many more people now suffer from disturbance in the gland, which regulates many of the bodies' functions.

However, improved thyroid testing is allowing doctors to get a better picture of what is happening in patients’ glands, which is helping to reduce the need for invasive surgery.

In recent years, any sign of abnormality in the thyroid may have been enough for doctors to order surgery to have the gland removed. However, this can be an invasive procedure that causes many changes throughout the body.

Now, a team of researchers from Colorado University is working to refine thyroid testing in the hopes of further reducing the need for removal of the thyroid.

"This should allow many patients to avoid the cost, discomfort and risk of surgery," said Bryan Haugen, who is leading the research. "When we see test results showing the right patterns we can say with a great deal of certainty that, despite initial concerns, the patient does not have cancer."