TREATMENT GUIDELINES FOR PATIENTS WITH THYROID-NODULES AND WELL-DIFFERENTIATED THYROID-CANCER

A set of minimum clinical guidelines for use by primary care physician s in the evaluation and management of patients with thyroid nodules or thyroid cancer was developed by consensus by an Ii-member Standards o f Care Committee (the authors of the article) of the American Thyroid Association, New York, NY. The participants were selected by the commi ttee chairman and by the president of the American Thyroid Association based on their clinical experience. The committee members represented different geographic areas within the United States, to reflect diffe rent practice patterns. The guidelines were developed based on the exp ert opinion of the committee participants, as well as on previously pu blished information. Each committee participant was initially assigned to write a section of the document and to submit it to the committee chairman, who revised and assembled the sections into a complete draft document, which was then circulated among all committee members for f urther revision. Several of the committee members further revised and refined the document, which was then submitted to the entire membershi p of the American Thyroid Association for written comments and suggest ions, many of which were incorporated into a final draft document, whi ch was reviewed and approved by the Executive Council of the American Thyroid Association.