Thyroid cancer is quietly becoming a high incidence cancer. According to the latest statistics from Shanghai Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence rate of thyroid cancer in Shanghai was 5.83 per 100,000 men and 21.2 per 100,000 women in 2008. The incidence rate for women has increased more significantly than before 2008. Currently, the incidence of thyroid cancer in women has jumped to the fifth most common tumor in women. The incidence rate of women is 3 times to 4 times higher than that of men. Among thyroid cancers, papillary carcinoma is more likely to occur between the ages of 21 and 40. It usually varies from 10 months to 30 years from the onset to the consultation, so it is usually diagnosed late. For this reason, Wu Yi suggests that women should have an ultrasound thyroid examination every year to detect and treat the cancer as early as possible. 2. Lumps in the head and neck, no pain is more dangerous Symptomatic lumps in the head and neck should be taken seriously, while asymptomatic lumps should not be taken lightly, as they may be signs of malignant tumors even if they are not painful or itchy. Painless neck lumps have a higher incidence of tumor, which means a higher possibility of tumor; on the contrary, the more neck lumps have some symptoms, the higher the possibility of non-tumor. Many neck tumors are found unintentionally, and the clinical manifestation is only a neck lump without other symptoms, especially in the early stage of tumor discovery. In addition, some tumor-like lesions in the neck that require surgical treatment, such as cheek cleft cyst and thyroglossal cyst, are also mostly painless lumps in the neck, which are easily ignored by patients. In contrast, some lumps in the neck with symptoms such as redness, swelling and pain should be considered more as atopic or non-atopic inflammatory masses such as septic inflammation and lymphatic tuberculosis. Of course, the advanced manifestations of some tumors cannot be completely excluded. 3.Ultrasound screening is the preferred examination method for thyroid cancer The high frequency ultrasound technology of thyroid gland adopted in recent years can clearly show the performance of thyroid anatomy, hemodynamics, microcirculation perfusion, etc. It can detect tiny nodules of 2~3 mm, and also can accurately distinguish between thyroid gland colloid retention and substantial masses, as well as determine whether necrosis has occurred in substantial masses, etc. There is a lot of valuable information. Data show that in 1996, over 90% of thyroid cancer patients were seen for neck masses, and only 3% were detected by ultrasound screening. In contrast, in 2006, about 60% of thyroid cancer patients were seen for neck lumps and 30% were detected by ultrasound screening. This shows that ultrasound screening has played an important role in the diagnosis of primary thyroid cancer. Wu Yi said that clinical data from cancer hospitals over the years show that the accuracy rate of ultrasound screening is close to 90%, and the smallest thyroid cancer found is only 0.2 cm in diameter. And it is especially effective in detecting early thyroid cancer: in 2006, 185 cases of thyroid cancer without any other clinical status signs were detected by ultrasound screening, accounting for 32.24% of all first diagnosed cases. 4. Iodized salt, is it a merit or a fault Some reports of “iodized salt increases thyroid disease” in the past year have caused many people to have concerns about iodized salt, and many are worried that iodized salt increases the risk of thyroid tumors. Iodine is an indispensable nutrient for the human body. The intake of iodine should not be too little nor too much. Iodine has both merits and demerits, and it cannot be simply said to be good or bad. Whether the amount of iodine is related to the development of thyroid tumors needs to be further investigated. It is not a bad thing to add iodine to salt, but whether or not to choose iodized salt should be based on oneself. It is recommended that for people who are already suffering from hyperthyroidism, they should eat non-iodized salt. For normal people who do not have hyperthyroidism, they should not reject iodized salt. 5. The first surgery is crucial Wu Yi pointed out that there are still some obvious differences in the clinical treatment of thyroid cancer. The first surgery is crucial for patients with tumor. Once the ‘second surgery’ is performed, the difficulty and risk of surgery will increase to different degrees and the prognosis will be greatly reduced. Compared to the traditional method of total thyroidectomy plus postoperative isotope therapy, for thyroid cancer confined to one side, unilateral lobectomy can be selectively performed. This method can better preserve certain thyroid functions and improve the patient’s postoperative quality of life, while also reducing the incidence of postoperative hypocalcemia. “After years of clinical experience, the prognosis of patients who undergo unilateral lobectomy is almost the same as those who undergo bilateral resection. In addition, lung and bone are one of the main organs for distant metastasis of thyroid cancer. Isotope bone scan should be done for patients complaining of fixed bone pain to exclude the possibility of bone metastasis. In principle, lifelong follow-up should be done, usually once every three months in the first year after treatment, once every six months in the second year, and at least once a year after the third year. Of course, patients who have discomfort related to tumor treatment should go to the hospital promptly.