title: Thyroid microcarcinoma.
abstract: Nowadays the most commonly occurring differentiated thyroid cancer in many countries is a microcarcinoma in patients older than 45 years, incidentally found during neck ultrasound. In view of their low morbidity and mortality, the crucial point is how to manage such microcarcinomas. Recently published European and American guidelines aim to minimize the diagnostic and therapeutic procedures without affecting the diagnostic accuracy and the therapeutic effectiveness, keeping in mind that we are dealing with patients who have a normal life expectancy and to whom we have to guarantee an excellent quality of life. The present review will summarize the clinical and pathological features of thyroid microcarcinoma, including its definition, prevalence, presentation, pathology, genetic, clinical impact and will try to derive from them a rationale for therapeutic and diagnostic intervention.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Endocrinology & Metabolism and Biochemistry, Section of Endocrinology and Metabolism, University of Siena, Via Bracci, 53100 Siena, Italy. pacini8@unisi.it
authors.forename: Furio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Pacini
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000473:pathology / Q000601:surgery; D013965:Thyroidectomy