Cancer of the thyroid gland may be a less common condition than carcinoma of the breast, lung, or colon, but it occurs with suf?cient frequency to constitute a major problem that is of concern to general practitioners, physicians, and particularly s- geons.Some idea of the frequency of thyroid carcinoma is given by its incidence in the United States. Every year some 26,000 patients are diagnosed there as suffering from thyroid cancer.Comparable ?gures apply to most countries in Europe although the in- dence does vary somewhat from country to country, perhaps depending on the endo- nous iodine...