Routine test show thyroid nodules-now what?

Majority of the thyroid nodules are picked up incidentally on testing being performed for some other reason. Lets start by discussing- what is a thyroid nodule? These are solid or liquids (called cystic) or mixed (solid and liquid) growths in the thyroid gland. These are very common, up to 30% of the population. Thyroid cancer also starts as nodules, however thyroid cancer is uncommon. So based on statistics, majority of the thyroid nodules found in routine testing are not cancers. Most of the thyroid nodules have no symptoms. Once we find thyroid nodules, these do need to be followed up by thyroid specialists.