Toward a standard clinicopathologic staging approach for differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

Physicians attempting disease staging for differentiated thyroid carcinoma have a broad variety of clinicopathologic classification approaches from which to choose. Unfortunately, no consensus has yet emerged as to the optimal method, and considerable differences of opinion still exist. Eight of the most commonly used classifications are described, along with results of recent comparative analyses of multiple schemes. Recommendations are provided to permit standardized approaches to clinicopathologic staging, and future research directions are identified.