Disclaimer & Privacy Statement for ThyroidCancer.com

Statement Regarding Ongoing Research at the Clayman Thyroid Center

The Clayman Thyroid Center created this Web site to educate patients (and doctors) about the basics and the most recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of thyroid cancer, thyroid surgery, and thyroid conditions that may warrant a thyroid surgery. However, medicine and surgery are constantly changing sciences. This is one reason that we update this web site regularly! As new research and clinical experience broadens our knowledge, changes in treatment and drug therapy occur. In their efforts to provide the world's largest collection of thyroid cancer articles and to make sure that this information is complete, state-of-the-art, and generally in accord with the standards accepted at the time of publication, the authors of ThyroidCancer.com have checked with numerous sources believed to be reliable. However, in view of the possibility of human error or changes in medical sciences, neither the authors, nor any other physician or party who has been involved in the preparation or publication of this work warrants that the information contained herein is in every respect accurate or complete, and they are not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of such information. Readers of ThyroidCancer.com are encouraged to confirm the information contained herein with other sources and to seek the advice of a specialist in endocrinology or thyroid surgery if questions remain. The information contained within these pages is not meant to replace the examination or advice of your physician. This is educational material which does not cover every detail of each disorder discussed. Only your physician can make medical decisions and treatment plans which are appropriate for each individual. Issues like when to have surgery, your risks of surgery, the type of anesthesia required, and many other factors should be addressed on an individual basis. Last updated December 262, 2021.

This is an educational web site. It does not intend to give advice, but is meant to inform and educate. The power of knowledge is undeniable.

Throughout this web site, the risks of Thyroid Cancer are presented, just as the risks of thyroid surgery are presented. Each patient is an individual and many factors will influence the risk of thyroid surgery including patient factors as well as surgeon factors like the experience of the surgeon in performing thyroid surgery. Even the most experienced surgeons in the world cannot guarantee good outcomes, and this web site in no way intends to suggest that all operations performed by the most experienced Thyroid surgeons will be free of risk of complications. There is a potential for complications with all surgery, including ALL types of surgery performed for thyroid cancer and all surgeons who perform it. It is a fact, however, that the most experienced Thyroid surgeons have complication rates that are much less than surgeons who perform this operation infrequently. Our doctors do not guarantee to cure every patient, nor do they guarantee that no complication will occur.

Choosing a Thyroid surgeon is an important decision.

Without question, Dr Gary Clayman is one of the most experienced thyroid surgeons in the world. Yet, he cannot operate on every patient with Thyroid Cancer so we strongly encourage all patients to find an expert thyroid surgeon. It is well known that thyroid surgery performed by doctors who do few thyroid operations often turns out poorly. For many patients, surgical expertise is not available in your local area, so traveling to a larger city or center of excellence is very common. This web site, like every other web site and every paper and/or book written about thyroid surgery will state that an experienced surgeon is extremely important for a good outcome. We strongly encourage all patients to seek out the most experienced thyroid surgery available to them. All patients are encouraged to discuss the type of Thyroid surgery their doctor will be doing, the anticipated cure rate, anticipated risks and complications, the type of anesthesia used, and how the doctor will know that the patient is cured at the conclusion of the operation. Patients should be comfortable with their choice of surgeon based on many factors, but clearly NOT based upon information gained from one web site. Choosing a surgeon is a very important decision. Do not hesitate to ask your surgeon very pointed questions... and this includes our doctors! Ask very hard questions. Be comfortable with your surgeon no matter who it is or what position they hold and title they have after their name.

No doctor can guarantee a perfect outcome.

This sounds obvious, but it must be said. We do one thing, and we do it very well. However, we do not cure every patient that we operate on. We keep detailed statistics on all operations, operative findings, and patient outcomes. We publish our data in peer-reviewed medical journals on a regular basis. However we cannot guarantee that we will cure every patient. Sometimes we will tell a patient that we do not think an operation is in their best interest. If we tell you this, it is because we have the ability to compare your case against many thousands of others who have come before you, and who's pre-op labs, operative findings, and eventual outcomes are known. If we tell you that we don't want to operate on you, its because we think an operation is not in your best interest. To become our patient, you must have a physician who can see you in follow up. If you do not have an expert to follow you following your thyroid operation, we will refer you or assist you in identifying the right individual to care for you following your thyroid surgery. The follow up is simple (check labs) and thus almost any doctor can do this, but you can't have an operation here and then go away and never have follow up somewhere else. You must have a doctor who will agree to see you after the operation to check your labs--although we will provide the order slip for the labs, and the labs will come to our office as well. All patients are given our surgeon's cell phone numbers. One of us will always be available to you and your doctor.

Affiliation

There are opportunities to become a patient of the Clayman Thyroid Cancer Center, however, this occurs on a form designed for this purpose. This form is secured and you will know that you are entering your data on a secure web page and warnings will be given. This is a clear decision that you will make. The information entered in this form is not accessible to anybody except the medical staff of the Clayman Thyroid Center. Any email that a patient may send to Dr Clayman or any other member of the Clayman Thyroid Center is not encrypted and the patients do so at their own risk. We do not ask for specific personal information via email and this is done either via phone, mail, fax, or via our secure encrypted web forms. Emails are not encrypted and are not secure.

Research.

The physicians at the Clayman Thyroid Center are constantly engaged with ongoing research into many aspects of thyroid cancer. By becoming a patient you acknowledge that your medical records will likely be included with hundreds or thousands of other patients with thyroid cancer and that specific aspects of your case will likely be examined. The purpose of this research is to allow for a better understanding of thyroid cancer, how it is diagnosed, and how best it can be treated. Your information will be studied only in the collective, along with many other patients. Specific studies of you as an individual will not be undertaken. No outside information will be requested as a part of these studies.

Your information will remain private and confidential at all times. You information will not be identifiable, and at no time will your information be examined as an individual, or in any way that would allow you to be identified. Your privacy is paramount and under no circumstances will be jeopardized.

You have the right to have your medical information omitted from any research project, and this is done simply by email directly to Dr Clayman.

All parts of this Web site are Copyright 1996-2024, including all photos, illustrations, graphics, navigation, and text. Patients and doctors can print these materials for educational purposes and are encouraged to do so. However, NONE of the photos, illustrations, graphs, or text can be reprinted in book, pamphlet or booklet form, nor can the photos and text be published on any other Web site, Internet, Intranet, or otherwise reproduced without written consent from the Clayman Thyroid Center.