Thyroid cancer surgery during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: perioperative management and oncological and anatomical considerations

Abstract

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has changed many aspects of our everyday lives and medical practice, including oncology treatment; thyroid cancer surgery is not an exception. The reported number of fine-needle aspirations performed during the first semester of 2020 was significantly reduced. Poorly differentiated, medullary and anaplastic thyroid tumors are considered important indications for immediate surgical intervention. By contrast, most well-differentiated carcinomas present slow growth, and thus surgery can be deferred for a short period of time during which patients are under active surveillance. Thyroid surgeries have decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, prior to any intervention, negative COVID-19 status – with the use of a nasopharyngeal swab and reverse transcription PCR assay as the gold standard and chest CT scan as a complementary modality in some cases – must be confirmed to achieve a COVID-free pathway. Thorough preoperative assessment regarding both oncological and anatomical aspects should be performed to identify optimal timing for safe management.