In recent years, there has been a marked increase in thyroid disease. In Beijing, the incidence of thyroid cancer has jumped to the top three of female tumors (a decade ago thyroid cancer was rare and not even in the top 10). The clinical findings show that more than 20% of normal people can find nodules in the thyroid gland, which are usually unilateral or bilateral with diffuse enlargement of the thyroid gland and single or multiple nodules, similar to the size of soybeans or fava beans, soft and tough in texture and moving up and down with swallowing movements. There are more women than men, about 4:1. Despite the high incidence of thyroid nodules, the majority are benign and less than 5% are malignant. Do not be nervous after a physical examination reveals a thyroid nodule, as doctors usually need to take a comprehensive approach to determine whether surgery is needed. Generally speaking, benign nodules do not require surgery unless they are more than 5 cm in size and affect the aesthetics or swallowing, then they need to be surgically removed. In addition, nodules with abundant blood flow, poorly defined borders, or sandy calcifications may indicate malignant nodules. However, the final judgment still needs to go to the hospital for biopsy to be determined. We suggest you do this Go for a thyroid function test in the endocrinology department. This test is actually done to diagnose whether the thyroid gland is functioning normally, but it is not relevant to determine the nature of the thyroid nodule. This is because many patients with thyroid cancer have normal thyroid function. This test is done to confirm the presence of hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism or inflammatory thyroid disease. Don’t be overly nervous if you find calcification. “Calcification is indeed a sign of cancer, but not all calcifications are cancerous. It is clinically found that the chance of malignancy of sandy calcifications is lower than that of large calcifications. Therefore, if calcifications are found, the most important thing is to find an experienced doctor to observe carefully and make a comprehensive judgment through ultrasound again. If there are also factors such as abundant blood flow, unclear nodule boundaries, and uneven echogenicity, the doctor will suspect malignancy and biopsy will be necessary to confirm the diagnosis. For nodules smaller than 1 cm, which are only found by ultrasound examination and not palpated by physical examination, attention should be paid to follow-up dynamic observation, and ultrasound should be reviewed once every six months. Those with significant enlargement should be treated by surgery. What is the need for surgery? The following points should be followed for surgical treatment: ① for those with rapid growth, high suspicion of malignancy and confirmed malignancy by puncture; ② for those with large nodules, poor results of non-surgical treatment and symptoms of pressure; ③ for nodules younger than 20 years old in non-goitre endemic areas; ④ for nodules with combined hyperthyroidism. The above analysis gives you a good understanding of thyroid nodules, so you should have the attitude to face the nodules after they are found, and actively seek medical attention to confirm the diagnosis and treatment is the most correct attitude. The increased awareness of medical checkups has led to good early intervention for thyroid disorders. It is recommended not to be overly nervous after finding nodules, but to keep regular medical checkups and start a healthy lifestyle are the only ways to stay away from malignant diseases.