How big is the incision of thyroid cancer?

The size of the surgical incision for thyroid cancer patients is usually related to the pathological type and stage of thyroid cancer, whether lymph node metastasis occurs, etc. Generally speaking, the surgical incision for papillary thyroid cancer and follicular thyroid cancer is smaller, while the surgical incision for undifferentiated cancer or medullary cancer is larger.

1. Papillary thyroid carcinoma: It is the most common pathological type of thyroid cancer, accounting for more than 85% of all thyroid cancers. Because of its low malignancy and the early occurrence of cervical lymph node metastasis, for such patients, the scope of surgical resection is relatively wide, including complete thyroidectomy and bilateral cervical lymph node dissection. At this time, the patient's surgical incision is generally about 2-3 cm;

2. Follicular carcinoma: It is a moderately malignant thyroid cancer, accounting for about 10%-15% of all thyroid cancers. For such patients, if the tumor is small and there is no lymph node metastasis, unilateral thyroid lobectomy can be selected. For patients with larger tumors, total thyroidectomy and bilateral neck lymph node dissection are required. The surgical incision for such patients is generally about 4-5 cm;

3. Undifferentiated cancer or medullary cancer: These two types of thyroid cancer are highly malignant and have a poor prognosis. For these patients, if they are already in the late stage when they are discovered, they need to undergo a complete thyroidectomy and bilateral neck lymph node dissection. However, since the tumor cells of these patients have already metastasized to distant sites, they cannot be completely cured. Therefore, the surgical incision for these patients is generally about 6-7 cm.

In addition to the above factors, it may also be related to factors such as whether thyroid cancer has metastasized to the lungs. It is recommended that patients go to the general surgery department of the hospital for treatment and complete blood routine tests, ultrasound examinations, etc. under the guidance of the doctor to confirm the diagnosis.