CLINICAL THYROIDOLOGY FOR PATIENTS
A publication of the American Thyroid Association

Table of Contents

EDITOR’S COMMENTS

Welcome to the first issue of the new format for Clinical Thyroidology for Patients. As before, this will be a collection of summaries of recently published articles from the medical literature that covers the broad spectrum of thyroid disorders. Starting with this issue, Clinical Thyroidology for Patients will be published on a monthly basis and include summaries of research studies that were discussed in the previous month’s issue of Clinical Thyroidology, a publication of the American Thyroid Association for physicians. Over the next few months, we will be adding new features that will focus on issues that hold a particular interest for patients. We will also include a Calendar of Events that will highlight educational forums and support groups that are organized by members of the Alliance for Thyroid Patient Education. The Alliance member groups consist of: the American Thyroid Association, the Graves’ Disease Foundation, the Light of Life Foundation and ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association.

IN THIS ISSUE, STUDIES ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

• Why is the number of new cases of thyroid cancer exploding in recent years?
• What is the smallest effective dose of radioactive iodine for initial treatment after surgery for thyroid cancer?
• Does a diagnosis of Follicular thyroid cancer carry a worse prognosis than a diagnosis of Papillary thyroid cancer?
• Is there a link between breast cancer and hypothyroidism?
• How common is under-treatment or over-treatment in the management of hypothyroid patients over the age of 65?

We welcome your feedback and suggestions on this new format. Let us know what you want to see in this publication. Happy reading!

— Alan Farwell, MD