Clinical Thyroidology for the Public summarizes selected research studies discussed in the previous month’s issue of Clinical Thyroidology, an official publication of the American Thyroid Association. Editor-in-chief, Alan Farwell, MD, FACE
Volume 19 Issue 4
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Clinical Thyroidology for the Public Volume 19 Issue 4 (PDF file, 2.34 MB)
TABLE OF CONTENTS – Web Format
HYPOTHYROIDISM
Hypothyroidism and risks of bariatric surgery
Bariatric surgery is generally safe, but problems after the procedure can occur. It is not clear if patients with hypothyroidism have higher chances of complications after bariatric surgery. This study was done to find out the risks of bariatric surgery in patients with hypothyroidism.
Meneghini V et al. Adverse outcomes in patients with hypothyroidism undergoing bariatric surgery: a retrospective study using TriNetX. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2025;16:dgaf519; doi: 10.1210/clinem/dgaf519. PMID: 40971953.
THYROID CANCER
Active surveillance is a safe strategy for low-risk papillary thyroid cancer in older patients
Many small thyroid cancers never grow significantly in size or spread outside of the neck. This has led to following a small, low-risk thyroid cancer with ultrasound and deferring surgery until the cancer shows evidence of significant growth or the cancer changes, termed active surveillance. This study evaluates the durability of active surveillance in patients with small, low-risk papillary thyroid cancer.
Sawka AM, et al. Long-term durability of active surveillance of small, low-risk papillary thyroid cancer. JAMA Surg 2025;160(10):1117–1124; doi: 10.1001/ jamasurg.2025.2957. PMID: 40833769.
THYROID CANCER
Bridging evidence gaps in thyroid cancer treatment with patient decision aids
For people with intermediate-risk thyroid cancer, it is still unclear if radioactive iodine therapy is helpful. This study developed a decision aid to help patients to determine the need for radioactive iodine therapy after surgery for intermediate-risk thyroid cancer. The investigators asked patients to complete surveys and join group discussions about how they made their treatment decisions.
Carr AL et al. Patient perspectives toward a decision aid for radioactive iodine treatment for intermediate risk thyroid cancer. Int J Behav Med. Epub 2025 Dec 18; doi: 10.1007/ s12529-025-10408-4. PMID: 41413365.
THYROID CANCER
Can my biopsy results predict the likelihood of my thyroid cancer coming back?
Until now, the molecular marker information that is obtained from the biopsy mainly helped us know the likelihood cancer was present and what type of cancer it was. The goal of this study is to see if the molecular marker analysis obtained through a biopsy of the nodule before the surgery helped predict the risk of thyroid cancer recurrence and guide the care team for the extent of surgery.
Bauzon J et al. Validation of molecular profiling to preoperatively predict aggressive pathologic features in differentiated thyroid cancer. Surgery 2026;189:109698
THYROID CANCER
Difficulty in achieving recommended TSH levels in patients with low-risk thyroid cancer
Doctors use guidelines from the American Thyroid Association (ATA) to decide what TSH level should be in patients with thyroid cancer. The TSH goal depends on how serious the cancer was at the start and how well the patient responds to treatment over time. This study looked at how well levothyroxine treatment was managed in patients with low-risk thyroid cancer.
Díez JJ, et al. Assessment of levothyroxine therapy adequacy in low-risk differentiated thyroid carcinoma: a multicenter cohort study. Front Endocrinol (Lausanne). Epub 2025 Dec 12:16:1652862
THYROID CANCER
How many lymph nodes with cancer mean medullary thyroid cancer is worse?
Medullary thyroid cancer MTC can spread outside of the thyroid to nearby lymph nodes in the neck early in the disease. Doctors know that when MTC spreads to more lymph nodes, the cancer can be harder to treat. The goal of this study was to identify specific numbers of lymph nodes that help predict patient outcomes in MTC.
Lindsay CV, et al. Prognostic thresholds for lymph node metastasis in medullary thyroid cancer: a restricted cubic splines analysis. Thyroid 2025;35(11):1297–1310.
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