Abstract

This paper discusses nineteen patients with advanced thyroid cancers treated in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology, the Center for Adult Diseases, Osaka, from 1979 to 1990. For the sake of convenience, we divided advanced thyroid cancers into four groups: those who had stridor or dyspnea due to laryngotracheal invasion (group 1), those who with the invasion of major blood vessels (group 2), those who had dyspnea due to bilateral recurrent nerve palsy (group 3), and those who with pulmonary metastases at the time of initial diagnosis (group 4). In the case of a potential of major vessel invasion, vasculosurgery or midline sternotomy should be prepared to perform. Radioactive isotope of iodine (131I) should be considered after total thyroidectomy in cases of pulmonary metastases at the initial visit.