Thyroid nodules, or lumps, are quite common, occurring in more than 50% of the world's population. Moreover, the likelihood of developing a thyroid nodule increases with age and in part represents the aging process of the thyroid gland.
Although most nodules are harmless and do not require any treatment at all, approximately 5% of all nodules are cancerous.
Thyroid nodules occur more frequently in women than in men, however the incidence of cancerous nodules is greatest in men. Despite the low incidence of cancer, all nodules should be evaluated to determine their status.

Although the cause of most thyroid nodules is unknown, some risk factors for developing nodules include a lack of iodine in the diet, which can cause thyroid enlargement, family history of benign thyroid nodules, and pre-existing thyroid disease.

Most thyroid nodules do not cause any symptoms. They’re usually discovered during a routine physical examination, or a patient might notice a lump in your neck while looking in a mirror. If the nodule is made up of thyroid cells that actively produce thyroid hormone without regard to the body’s need, a patient may complain of hyperthyroid symptoms.

A few patients with thyroid nodules may complain of pain in the neck, jaw, or ear. If the nodule is large enough, it may cause difficulty swallowing or cause a “tickle in the throat” or shortness of breath if it is pressing on the windpipe. Rarely, hoarseness can be caused if the nodule irritates a nerve to the voice box

 Most thyroid nodules are benign but some nodules require treatment for cosmetic reasons subjective symptoms or anxiety about a malignant change.
The treatment for benign thyroid nodules consists of surgery and levothyroxine medication. However, both surgery and medication have drawbacks.

Although surgery is curative, it has problems including general anesthesia, scar formation and iatrogenic hypothyroidism.
In addition, the efficacy of thyroid hormone-suppressive therapy is still controversial. Therefore, non-surgical minimally invasive modalities, such as ethanol ablation and interstitial laser photocoagulation, have been attempted, yielding good results.

Radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive technique that has been used to treat benign and malignant tumors. In thyroid gland, RFA has been applied to a recurrent thyroid cancer and benign thyroid nodules.
RFA of benign thyroid nodules is a safe modality effective at reducing volume.