The association between multinodular goiter and thyroid cancer.

In many parts of the world, especially those of current or former iodine deficiency, multinodular goiter is still an endemic disease. In this brief review several clinically relevant issues in the complex association between nodular goiter and differentiated thyroid cancer will be highlighted. There are some intriguing links between the etiologies of multinodular goiter and that of thyroid cancer. This could also influence the incidence of thyroid cancer in multinodular goiter. However, multinodular goiter causes extra difficulties in the diagnosis of differentiated thyroid cancer; these same difficulties also cause additional issues in thyroid cancer treatment in multinodular goiter patients. Last but not least it will be discussed whether there is a possibility to impede the development of thyroid cancer in multinodular goiter.