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02/02/26

Overdiagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer.

Francis, David O; Davies, Louise; Zhang, Yichi; Arroyo, Natalia; Fernandes-Taylor, Sara; Nordby, Peter; Cher, Ben A Y; Venkatesh, Manasa; Aiello Bowles, Erin J; Alagoz, Oguzhan. JAMA Netw Open.

Collection Topics
Big Three Conditions Overdiagnosis
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Summary

Overdiagnosis of disease results in harm to patients, systems and communities. The extent of thyroid cancer overdiagnosis in the US is significant (estimated at 72 to 94 %), even after considering increased true incidence. Reducing unnecessary thyroid ultrasounds—especially for nonpalpable nodules—could lower unnecessary diagnoses and treatment-related harms without raising mortality.

Read the paper
Francis DO, Davies L, Zhang Y, et al. Overdiagnosis of papillary thyroid cancer. JAMA Netw Open. 2026;9(2):e2559852.