Can doctors safely watch small thyroid cancers instead of removing them?
NCT ID NCT07822217
First seen Sep 16, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
Researchers at the University of Aarhus are studying whether people with a single thyroid cancer smaller than 2 cm can safely delay surgery and instead have the tumor monitored with ultrasound for five years. The study enrolls 90 adults aged 30 and older whose biopsy shows cancer or suspicious cells and whose tumor measures 2 cm or less in every direction. If the cancer grows or its ultrasound appearance changes, participants are offered further treatment. The main question is how many participants need treatment because of tumor growth within 24 months.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- active surveillance, a monitoring approach instead of immediate surgery
- What this could lead to
- If active surveillance proves safe, some people with small thyroid cancers could avoid or delay surgery and its risks, including lifelong hormone replacement and changes to the voice.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small study of 90 people, and some cancers may grow or spread during monitoring. Active surveillance only suits a narrow group: adults with a single tumor 2 cm or smaller and no signs the cancer has spread.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Participants
-
About 90 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
-
Feb 2034
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
Who is studied
Patients of 30 years or older with small, low-risk cancers in the thyroid gland.
- Ages
-
30 years and older
- Sex
-
Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion criteria: * age of 30 years or older AND * single, well-defined tumor in the thyroid gland, with a FNAB suspicious of cancer or diagnostic of cancer (category V or VI in the Bethesda system) AND * tumor size of 2 cm or less in all dimensions. Exclusion criteria: * suspicion of disseminated disease because of: * PET-positive lymph nodes on the neck * suspicious lymph-nodes by neck ultrasonography (US) * signs of capsular invasion of the tumor * suspicion of metastatic disease due to findings on PET-CT-scan or thoracic CT-scan; OR * tumor placement at a high-risk location (in the thyroid capsule or near the trachea) OR * previous thyroid surgery OR * concomitant hyperparathyroidism (ionized calcium \> 1.32 mmol/L and PTH \> 6 pmol/L) OR * if the patient is pregnant OR * If the patient is unable to give informed consent.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Active surveillance are added.
Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Department of Otorhinolaryngology, Aarhus University Hospital
Aarhus, 8200, Denmark
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Light-Based probe aims to spot thyroid cancer faster
- Mapping how thyroid tumors spread and what surgery leaves behind
- Can a video keep thyroid cancer patients on track after surgery?
- Can heat replace the scalpel for small thyroid tumors?
- Thyroid surgery under the microscope: what 3,000 real operations reveal
- Can an oral drug that starves tumors help Hard-to-Treat cancers?