Your doctor may ask you the following questions to help determine whether you have a thyroid nodule and whether it is cancerous:

• How did you find the thyroid growth?
• Describe any symptoms.
• Have you been treated for any type of thyroid problem in the past? If so, what was the problem and how was it treated?
• Has anyone in your family been treated for thyroid nodules or any other thyroid disorder?
• Does (or did) anyone in your family have cancer of the thyroid gland or any other endocrine gland?
• Have you ever received radiation treatment to your head, neck, or chest? Conditions for which this type of treatment may have been used include thyroid problems, lung disease, a brain tumor, repeated tonsil infections (tonsillitis), or acne.