What Is a Thyroid Adenoma?

A thyroid adenoma is a non-cancerous tumor of the thyroid gland known as a follicular adenoma.

These tumors are not harmful and do not spread.

They usually appear as a lump in the neck or are found during imaging done for other reasons.

They can be small (<1cm) or large (>10cm).

If found, a biopsy is done to confirm it is benign.

Reasons to Remove a Follicular Adenoma

• It compresses important structures, causing issues like coughing or difficulty breathing (trachea) or swallowing problems (oesophagus).

• It’s larger than 3 cm, as larger tumors make biopsy results less reliable and may mask thyroid cancer.

• A biopsy suggests potential thyroid cancer.

• It’s overactive, leading to hyperthyroidism.

• It is cosmetically unappealing.