Management of Nodal Disease in Thyroid Cancer.

Cervical lymph node metastases are present in a considerable number of patients with differentiated and medullary thyroid cancer. The completeness of surgical resection, including clinically significant lymph node metastases, is an important determinant of outcome, because cervical lymph nodes represent the most common site of persistent and recurrent disease. This article delineates the management of nodal disease in thyroid cancer, focusing on the preoperative evaluation, operative management, and postoperative assessment of cervical lymph nodes.