Active Surveillance of Thyroid Microcarcinomas: a Critical View.

Purpose Of The Review: There has been an increasing interest on active surveillance for papillary thyroid microcarcinomas (PTMC) in the literature. We will analyze the contributions of those authors who support this approach in most patients with low-risk tumors.

Recent Findings: The development of molecular methods to effectively detect aggressive PTMC at the fine-needle aspiration biopsy will enable the sound indication of immediate surgery in those patients, assuring the other individuals with the far more frequent indolent PTMC will undergo active surveillance with less anxiety.