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Stanford Health Care

Types

Our Approach to Thyroid Surgery

Stanford’s Endocrine Cancer (Tumor) Program offers highly specialized surgical expertise for newly diagnosed or recurrent (returned) thyroid cancer. Thyroid surgery is typically the first treatment for thyroid cancer. We also perform surgery for some benign (noncancerous) thyroid problems such as thyroid nodules and hyperthyroidism.

Because the thyroid is in a delicate area of the neck, experience is particularly important for this surgery. Our team performs a large number of thyroid surgeries, which gives us the expertise to provide better outcomes for you. Our team also has expertise in related surgery, including lymph node dissection, for cancer that has spread.

What We Offer You for Thyroid Surgery

  • High-volume surgical experience, with surgeons who perform many thyroidectomies and lymph node dissections.
  • Specialized expertise in reoperations and surgery for thyroid cancer that involves the trachea, esophagus, larynx, or large blood vessels.
  • Trusted center where many doctors refer their patients who need complex operations for more advanced thyroid cancer or recurrent cancer.
  • Collaborative approach, with advice and care from a team that specializes in treating thyroid cancer and other endocrine tumors.
  • Advanced imaging for precise treatment planning, including ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration biopsy and use of ultrasound for surgical planning.
  • Extensive support services to help you maintain your quality of life after surgery, including voice and swallowing therapy and speech-language pathology.

 

What is Thyroid Surgery?

Types of Thyroid Surgery

Your Stanford surgical team has several options for removing thyroid cancer. Your surgeon will use the least invasive procedure possible while achieving the most effective treatment. The types of thyroid surgery we offer include:

Thyroid Lobectomy
Our surgeons may use thyroid lobectomy to treat the smallest tumors, particularly those that are unlikely to spread. This surgery removes only the half of the thyroid that contains the cancer or nodule. Sometimes we can perform these surgeries as minimally invasive endoscopic procedures, using tiny instruments.

Total thyroidectomy
A total thyroidectomy removes the entire thyroid gland. In most cases, the surgeon makes a small incision near the base or midline of the neck to access and remove the gland, in a standard thyroidectomy. Sometimes the surgeon removes lymph nodes around the thyroid through the same incision.

Diagnostic procedures
You may need other procedures to diagnose a thyroid tumor or confirm whether cancer has spread. To make a diagnosis, we biopsy abnormal thyroid tissue (take a small sample of cells). The types of thyroid biopsy we use at Stanford include:
• Fine needle aspiration biopsy: Your doctor inserts a very thin needle into the thyroid to remove cells to test for cancer. We use ultrasound imaging to guide the needle. In some cases, additional molecular testing may help determine the risk of cancer.
• Diagnostic lobectomy: If a biopsy is inconclusive, your surgeon may remove one lobe of the thyroid gland containing an abnormal nodule. Our lab will analyze the nodule to determine whether it is cancerous.

Lymph node dissection
Lymph nodes are small organs in the lymphatic system, an important part of the immune system. If cancer affects lymph nodes around the thyroid, your surgeon will remove them in a procedure called lymph node dissection. A pathologist examines the lymph node tissue to check for cancer.

Surgeons may remove the lymph nodes at the same time as thyroid surgery or in a separate procedure. Stanford’s team has specialized expertise in lymph node dissection, including both first-time procedures and reoperative (secondary) lymph node dissection for recurrent cancer (cancer that has returned).

Trachea and esophagus surgery
In some cases, thyroid cancer spreads to surrounding structures. Cancer that has spread to nearby areas is known as locally advanced cancer. Stanford’s surgeons have expertise in resection (surgical removal) of part of the trachea, esophagus, or larynx to treat locally advanced thyroid cancer.
 

Our Clinics

Endocrine Tumor Program

At Stanford, you’ll find expertise in all types of surgery for thyroid cancer, including recurrent cancer or cancer that has spread. Our surgeons specialize in endocrine and thyroid tumors and have extensive experience with the most complex cases.

Endocrine Tumor Program
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To schedule an appointment, please call: 650-498-6000