Children’s Thyroid Center

What is the thyroid?

The thyroid is a gland in the front of the neck that produces hormones that help regulate almost every organ in the body.

What is the Children’s Thyroid Center?

The Children's Thyroid Center at Stanford, one of very few Children’s Thyroid Centers in the nation, is focused on the treatment of children with thyroid conditions, including thyroid nodules and thyroid cancers. Children are the focus of the Children’s Thyroid Center. Our doctors work as a team to diagnose, counsel and treat children and adolescents up to 18 years old. Children are not just little adults, and children’s thyroids have unique conditions, genetics and treatment recommendations.

Why does my child need treatment in a “center”?

In 2015, the American Thyroid Association wrote the first-ever guidelines dedicated to the management of children with thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. These guidelines call for these children to be treated in centers of excellence by pediatric subspecialists dedicated to the care of children with thyroid disease. Because hormones are integral to child development, these conditions can require specialized pediatric care that takes children’s unique needs into account. The Children’s Thyroid Center at Stanford Medicine Children’s Health does exactly that through coordinated, expert care.

Why choose us?  

First, the Children’s Thyroid Center is home to a world-class multidisciplinary team of experts who will coordinate care and work with families and their children to determine the best treatment plan available. Our experts conduct cutting-edge research on thyroid disease in children and have state-of-the-art facilities for diagnosing and treating a wide range of thyroid conditions.

Second, the center’s affiliation with Stanford Health Care means that your child will have continuity of care as they grow into adulthood.

Third, we have child-focused resources, a hallmark of Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. These resources include virtual-reality technologies  that ease discomfort during procedures and Child Life  specialists who minimize stress to help your child cope positively. Should your child require care in the hospital, our private patient rooms are designed for family-centered recovery.

Finally, our surgeons participate in the Thyroid Cancer Care Collaborative. This resource enables our thyroid cancer patients to have access to their care records at any time from any place with an internet connection.