Papillary microcarcinoma (PMC) is a thyroid tumor measuring 10mm or less in maximum diameter andcomprise up to 30% of all papillary thyroid cancers. Most of them are detected incidentally and defined asincidental papillary microcarcinoma (IPC≤10mm). The incidence of such incidental cancers found in surgicalspecimens of benign thyroid diseases is high. Although most PMC are incidental, all incidental papillary cancerscannot be classified as microcarcinoma, owing to their size that may be larger than 10mm. Not much is knownabout the biological behavior and clinical course of IPC≤10mm. There is an ongoing discussion amongendocrinologists, endocrine surgeons and nuclear medicine specialists about the optimal therapeutic strategyfor the patients with IPC≤10mm. Some investigators advocate in favor of not performing further treatment inaddition to initial thyroid surgery, whereas others suggest an aggressive surgical approach followed by radioiodineablation therapy. Randomized prospective trials of observation versus standard thyroid cancer care are requiredto high-lighten this dilemma.
)