Concerns About the American Thyroid Association Guidelines on Pediatric Thyroid Cancer

Abstract

The Management Guidelines for Childhood Differentiated Thyroid Cancer by the American Thyroid Association (ATA) Pediatric Thyroid Cancer Task Force1 built up a system for evaluation, treatment, and follow-up of children with papillary carcinoma. For this approach, recommendations based on scientific evidence and expert opinion play a crucial role in identifying patients at risk of persistent cervical disease and/or distant metastases after initial total thyroidectomy with or without lymph node dissection. In our opinion, this issue needs further consideration because of several uncertainties that have to be addressed.