How is familial medullary thyroid cancer treated?

In cases of FMTC, confirmed medullary thyroid cancer should be treated with surgical removal of the entire thyroid gland, followed by careful exploration and dissection of the lymph nodes in the neck. In most cases, it is recommended that the lymph node dissection should be performed in the central portion of the neck. If there is any concern that a tumor has grown to the point where it is likely to have spread to other lymph nodes, dissection is usually extended up along both sides of the neck. In the process of dissection, the surgeon examines and removes a number of lymph nodes. These are later examined by a pathologist to see if they contain medullary thyroid cancer cells.

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