Importance of Surgeon Experience in the Surgical Management of Thyroid Cancer

Abstract

Thyroid cancer is increasing in prevalence as are the number of thyroidectomies being performed. Although many thyroidectomies are still performed by low-volume surgeons, there appears to be a trend toward referral to more experienced surgeons with high-volumes of thyroid surgery. The importance of surgeon volume to improved outcomes has been repeatedly demonstrated for thyroidectomy-specific complications, such as recurrent laryngeal nerve injury and hypoparathyroidism. It has also been shown that high-volume surgeons have improved oncologic outcomes from improved adequacy of resection to decreased need for avoidable reoperations, both in the adult and pediatric populations.