Areas that are irregular, hard, or lumpy need further evaluation, since they may contain cancer.

Resection: Surgery to remove part or all of an organ that contains cancer.

During surgery, the doctor will also remove lymph nodes to see if they contain cancer.

The doctor must cut into the abdomen and carefully look at all the organs to see if they contain cancer.

The doctor will cut out small pieces of tissue and look at them under a microscope to see whether they contain cancer.

A doctor called a pathologist can look at the tissue sample and see if it contains cancer.

Lymph nodes that contain cancer may also be removed during this operation.

The sample is examined under a microscope to see if it contains cancer.

Surgery to remove the part of the thyroid gland that contains cancer.

The tissue will be looked at under a microscope to see if it contains cancer.