editorials February 01, 2018 February 01, 2018

The Janus faces of thyroid carcinoma

DOI: 10.20945/2359-3997000000001

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine neoplasia, and its incidence has increased dramatically in several countries during the last three decades (). This phenomenon has been attributed to overdiagnosis due to a combination of improvements in new imaging techniques, especially high-resolution ultrasound, and increased access of patients to health care systems (). Irrespective of controversies regarding whether the growing number of thyroid cancer diagnoses is attributable to overdiagnosis alone () or reflects an actual increase in cases (-), the majority of tumor recently diagnosed is comprised of small papillary carcinomas (PTCs), (1.5-2.0 cm or less in size). Fortunately, more than 90% of them are curable with total thyroidectomy complemented or not with radioiodine (RAI). Although most PTCs are considered to be low risk, there are cases in which the tumor, even if small, exhibits aggressive behavior, and distant metastases can be present at diagnosis.

In this issue of the Archives of Endocrinology and Metabolism (AE&M), these two faces of thyroid cancer were addressed in two well-written papers on patients with PTC in two Latin American countries.

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