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Thyroid Cancer pp 3–8Cite as

Anatomy and Physiology of the Thyroid Gland: Clinical Correlates to Thyroid Cancer

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Abstract

Detailed knowledge of thyroid gland anatomy and physiology is extremely important for any physician that manages thyroid disorders, including thyroid malignancies. The thyroid gland is a relatively small butterfly-shaped organ located in the lower neck, anteriorly to the trachea. A large number of ectopic sites of thyroid tissue have been described, including thyroglossal duct cysts, lingual thyroid, or struma ovarii. The thyroid gland is in close proximity to several important structures, such as the recurrent laryngeal nerves, the parathyroid glands, as well as the large cervical blood vessels like the carotid artery and the jugular vein.

The function of the thyroid gland is to provide adequate amounts of thyroid hormone, a hormone with clinically important actions practically in every system in the human body. Its main functional unit is the thyroid follicle, a single cell-layered cystic unit that contains colloid. Thyroglobulin is the main component of colloid and it represents the large-molecular-weight protein in which the thyroid hormones, thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine, (T3) are stored.

The molecular biology of thyroid function has been studied extensively with identification of important cellular elements such as the thyroid-stimulating hormone receptor and the sodium–iodide symporter. These advances have significantly improved our understanding of thyroid physiology and have allowed us to identify potential therapeutic targets for diseases such as thyroid cancer.

To better understand the biology of thyroid malignancies, it is extremely important to have a thorough understanding of the thyroid’s relationship to its surrounding structures, both anatomically and functionally. This would allow a clinician to understand the behavior of thyroid cancers in regard to issues of local invasion, regional spread to cervical lymph nodes, and distant metastasis. This short review focuses on some aspects of thyroid anatomy and physiology that are clinically relevant to the diagnosis and management of thyroid cancer.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Thyroid Associates, 15 Parkman Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Nikolaos Stathatos MD

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  1. Nikolaos Stathatos MD
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Correspondence to Nikolaos Stathatos MD .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medicine, MedStar Washington Hospital Center Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, USA

    Leonard Wartofsky

  2. Nuclear Medicine Research MedStar Research Institute and Washington Hospital Center, Georgetown University School of Medicine Washington Hospital Center, Washington, DC, USA

    Douglas Van Nostrand

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Stathatos, N. (2016). Anatomy and Physiology of the Thyroid Gland: Clinical Correlates to Thyroid Cancer. In: Wartofsky, L., Van Nostrand, D. (eds) Thyroid Cancer. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3314-3_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-3314-3_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4939-3312-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4939-3314-3

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