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Importance of Surgeon Experience in the Surgical Management of Thyroid Cancer

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Management of Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

Abstract

Before the nineteenth century, thyroidectomy was associated with significant mortality. However, with improved surgical technique and experience in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, it became increasingly safe; in the contemporary era, thyroidectomy is a common surgical procedure for both benign and malignant conditions, with near-zero mortality rates. However, significant morbidity can occur from thyroidectomy-specific complications, such as injury to the recurrent laryngeal nerve and/or hypoparathyroidism. The incidence of these complications has been shown to be higher when surgery is performed for malignancy and/or by low-volume surgeons. This correlation between volume and outcomes has been well documented across multiple surgical subspecialties and a variety of procedures, including thyroidectomy. The improved outcomes observed when thyroidectomy is performed by a high-volume surgeon include not only decreased rates of complications but also improved oncologic resections with a resulting decreased risk for recurrence and reoperation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Surgery, Division of Surgical Oncology, Section of Endocrine Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, WI, USA

    Kathryn E. Coan MD & Tracy S. Wang MD, MPH

  2. Section of Endocrine Surgery, Medical College of Wisconsin, 9200 W. Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI, 53226, USA

    Tracy S. Wang MD, MPH

Authors
  1. Kathryn E. Coan MD
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  2. Tracy S. Wang MD, MPH
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tracy S. Wang MD, MPH .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Sanziana A. Roman

  2. Department of Surgery, Duke University Medical Center Duke Cancer Institute, Durham, North Carolina, USA

    Julie Ann Sosa

  3. Division of Surgical Oncology and Endocrine Surgery, Vanderbilt Endocrine Surgery Center, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

    Carmen C. Solórzano

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Coan, K.E., Wang, T.S. (2017). Importance of Surgeon Experience in the Surgical Management of Thyroid Cancer. In: Roman, S., Sosa, J., Solórzano, C. (eds) Management of Thyroid Nodules and Differentiated Thyroid Cancer. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43618-0_12

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-43618-0_12

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-43616-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-43618-0

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