Update on Thyroid Cancer

With over 2 000 articles published on thyroid cancer between January 1, 2006 and September 10, 2007 it is difficult to offer an updated and complete review on this malignancy. Thus, I elected to summarize papers published in 2007 on topics frequently overlooked in other reviews or books, and papers that are likely to be followed by interesting developments. Papers include: 1) the accuracy and currency of websites on thyroid cancer; 2) the detection of the V600E BRAF mutation in very small papillary thyroid cancers that are detected histologically; 3) the relationship between thyroid cancer and Hashimoto's thyroiditis or hepatitis C virus, an association that appears to be nonrandom; 4) the not negligible frequency of coexistence of thyroid cancer with primary hyperparathyroidism; 5) the value of ultrasound elastography of thyroid nodules in distinguishing malignant form benign lesions; 6) the value of percutaneous ethanol injection in the treatment of thyroid or nodal recurrences of thyroid cancer; 7) the relatively benign course of intrathyroid metastases from renal cell carcinoma; 8) the exceedingly rare thyroid paraganglioma, though the rate of reports has increased recently; and 9) the increase in serum calcitonin caused by chronic alcoholism, an increase that cannot be reversed by three weeks of alcohol weaning.