A thyroid nodule should be seen by a specialist promptly after it is found. A detailed medical history will help determine the nature of the nodule. Nodules with symptoms of hyperthyroidism may be high-functioning adenomas or early stages of subacute thyroiditis and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; nodules with hypothyroidism are usually late stages of subacute thyroiditis and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; nodules with a history of childhood neck radiation therapy or thyroid nodules in children in areas where goiter is not endemic have a higher chance of being malignant; nodules with a family history of thyroid cancer have a higher rate of malignancy; nodules that have been present for many years have a short term The possibility of malignancy should be considered when nodules that have been present for many years increase in size painlessly and significantly within a short period of time. After nodules are found, some necessary biochemical tests should be done, including thyroid function, autoantibodies and tumor markers. Most patients with nodules have normal thyroid function, and those with TSH abnormalities are less likely to have malignant nodules. Thyroid-specific antibodies TMAb, TPOAb, and TGAb are meaningful for the diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and have no special significance for the differentiation of benign and malignant. Calcitonin and carcinoembryonic antigen are elevated in medullary thyroid carcinoma. The sensitivity of color ultrasonography in detecting thyroid nodules is high. For nodules with hypoechoic, poorly defined borders and gravel-like strong echogenicity in the ultrasound, thyroid cancer should be highly suspected. Wu Feng, Department of General Surgery, The First Affiliated Hospital of Henan College of Traditional Chinese Medicine