Thyroid Cancer Treatment in Shanghai: 2026 International Patient Guide

Shanghai's Thyroid Surgery Volume

China has some of the world's highest thyroid cancer incidence, and Shanghai's tertiary centers perform thousands of thyroidectomies annually. Specialized expertise covers standard surgery, minimally invasive endoscopic approaches, complex locally advanced cases, and post-operative endocrine management.

Top Hospitals

Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan — High-volume thyroid surgery; Drs. Zhu Wei (朱巍), Ai Zhilong (艾志龙), Jiang Ying (蒋莹, Japan-trained minimally invasive).

Ruijin Hospital, SJTU — Dr. Fei Jian (费健), strong reputation for thyroid nodule/cancer surgery.

Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital — Prof. Fan Youben (范友本), global innovator in scarless surgery; Prof. Wang Zhongdong for complex cases.

Renji Hospital — Prof. Wang Zhuoying (王卓颖), CSCO Thyroid Committee chair, neoadjuvant targeted therapy for advanced differentiated thyroid cancer.

Treatment Options

Papillary/follicular carcinoma: Total or hemithyroidectomy with central compartment lymph node dissection as indicated.

Scarless endoscopic surgery: Transoral or axillary approaches for selected patients prioritizing cosmetic outcome.

Locally advanced: Neoadjuvant targeted therapy (lenvatinib, dabrafenib+trametinib for BRAF V600E) to downstage tumors before surgery.

Radioiodine (I-131): Adjuvant therapy at nuclear medicine departments after total thyroidectomy.

Cost Reference

Standard thyroidectomy: ¥30,000–60,000. Endoscopic/scarless surgery: ¥50,000–90,000. Complex/combined resection: ¥80,000–150,000. Targeted therapy: ¥20,000–60,000/month.