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Thyroid Cancer in Children

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Endocrine Surgery in Children

Abstract

This chapter reviews thyroid cancer in children. It concentrates on differentiated thyroid cancer that arises from thyroid follicle cells, especially papillary thyroid cancer. The other major differentiated thyroid cancer, follicular cell carcinoma, is also discussed but other thyroid cancers are only briefly mentioned. Discussions of thyroid cancer in children are often dominated by extrapolations of data from adults because thyroid cancer is so much more common in adults than children. But thyroid cancer in children is not the same as thyroid cancer in adults. There are different etiologies, risk factors, clinical presentations, and natural histories. The unique aspects of thyroid cancer in children have been recognized and in 2015 the American Thyroid Association published specific recommendations regarding the evaluation and management of thyroid cancer in children 18 years of age and younger.

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  1. Seattle Children’s Hospital, 4800 Sand Point Way NE, PO Box 5371/M/S OA.9.220, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA

    Daniel J. Ledbetter

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  1. Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle, Washington, USA

    Daniel J. Ledbetter

  2. Academic Pediatric Surgery Unit, Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford, United Kingdom

    Paul R.V. Johnson

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Ledbetter, D.J. (2018). Thyroid Cancer in Children. In: Ledbetter, D., Johnson, P. (eds) Endocrine Surgery in Children. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-662-54256-9_4

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