Thyroid cancer--the malignant lesions in the contralateral lobe

This study analysed the frequency of the malignant lesions in contralateral thyroidian lobe after completion thyroidectomy for malignant lesions in the ipsilateral lobe, in order to establish which patients have indication of total thyroidectomy. There were studied retrospectively 228 patients which had completion thyroidectomy after histological confirmation of the thyroid cancer in the ipsilateral lobe. Thyroid cancer in contralateral lobe was found in 94(41.2%) patients. One (4.7%) of patients with cancer < 1 cm in ipsilateral lob had malignant lesions in the contralateral lobe. In patients with ipsilateral lobe cancer > 1 cm, the frequency of malignant lesions was between 42.8% and 47.6%. The very high frequency of malignant lesions in the patients with ipsilateral thyroid cancer > 1 cm impose total thyroidectomy in these cases.