In an updated recommendation, the US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) advised against screening for thyroid cancer in asymptomatic adults. Among the findings:

• There was inadequate direct evidence on the benefits of screening.
• The magnitude of the overall benefits of screening and treatment is small, given that thyroid cancer is rare, there is little difference in outcomes in people treated vs monitored, and there seems to be no change in mortality rate after introducing a mass screening program.
• There was inadequate direct evidence on the harms of screening.
• However, the overall magnitude of the harms of screening and treatment are at least moderate, given adequate evidence of harms of treatment and indirect evidence that over-diagnosis and overtreatment would likely be substantial with population-based screening.

The USPSTF concluded that the net benefit of screening for thyroid cancer is negative.