Title: Radiofrequency ablation for thyroid nodules – A new trend in the treatment for benign and malignant nodules

Abstract:

Until recently, classic treatment for most thyroid nodules was restricted to partial or total thyroidectomy, radioiodine therapy, or suppressive levothyroxine therapy, all of which have potential drawbacks. On the other side of the spectrum stands observational follow-up, which despite avoiding procedural complications, may lead to compressive symptoms or cosmetic concerns. In this context, Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) and other thermal therapies have emerged to fill in the gap of less invasive and yet similarly effective therapeutic options for neoplastic thyroid disease. In the past ten years, RFA, for many reasons, has been progressively more employed in the treatment of thyroid nodules than other thermal treatments. This minimally invasive technique is largely beneficial in the face of patients who reject or are unsuitable for surgery due to clinical or cosmetic reasons. Many publications have already established RFA’s efficacy on large benign nodules or papillary microcarcinomas, confirming its role as a feasible alternative to thyroidectomy or radioiodine therapy. Moreover, complications such as thyroidectomy or radioiodine-induced hypothyroidism are significantly milder or less common in patients submitted to RFA. This presentation aims to update the recent trends in this innovative and disruptive technique concerning the treatment of benign and malignant thyroid nodules.

Biography:

Erivelto Volpi is a head and neck surgeon specialized in thyroid and parathyroid diseases. He had his general surgery and head and neck surgery training at Hospital das Clinicas of the University of Sao Paulo, where he worked for 26 years until he retired in 2018. Since 2015 he works at the Oncology Center at Oswaldo Cruz German Hospital, one of Brazil's top ten private hospitals. He was one of the founders of the Brazilian Society of Endocrine Surgery and served for eight years at the Executive Committee of Latin American Thyroid Society. Currently, he is an Associate Editor of Clinical Thyroidology (a Journal of the American Thyroid Association).