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갑상선암 · Thyroid cancer · ICD-10 C73
Thyroid cancer: treatment options in Korea
Thyroid cancer is the cancer Korea sees most often and treats best: 5-year relative survival is 100%, and most of the "scarless" robotic operations (through the armpit or mouth) were invented by Korean doctors. For low-risk microcarcinoma of 1 cm or less, Korean guidelines support observing first without surgery.
Why consider Korea
- Thyroid cancer is the most common cancer in Korea, with 33,914 new cases in 2022[3]
- 5-year relative survival 100.2% (patients diagnosed 2019–2023), the highest of all cancers[1]
- Severance Hospital reached 50,000 robotic operations in April 2026, the first in the world[4]
- The BABA robotic thyroid technique was developed at Seoul National University Hospital in 2008[5]
- Newsweek 2026 oncology ranking: Samsung Seoul 3rd, Asan 4th, SNUH 8th (the whole cancer field, not thyroid alone)[6]
Korea vs. China
Korean figures are for patients diagnosed in 2019–2023 and Chinese figures for patients diagnosed in 2019–2021. Both are 5-year relative survival rates published by each country's national cancer center. The years and methods are not identical, so only the rough gap is meaningful. Relative survival is compared with the general population of the same age, so values above 100% can occur. Korea's high survival for stomach and colorectal cancer is closely linked to national cancer screening, which finds more cancers early.
| Item | Korea | China | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of robotic surgery | For patients without Korean health insurance: robotic hemithyroidectomy about KRW 23 million and total thyroidectomy about KRW 25 million (≈ CNY 120,000–130,000); open surgery at the same hospital about KRW 10.5–11.5 million | On top of the regular surgical fee, a robot equipment fee of about CNY 35,000 is paid separately and is not covered by medical insurance | The Korean figure is the website price of Gibbeum Hospital in Seoul (a thyroid specialty hospital) for September 2026; for university hospitals, ask the international center for prices. The Chinese figure is from a popular-science article by the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University, 2024[7][8] |
Treatments
Open thyroidectomy Surgery
A 3–5 cm incision in the middle of the neck removes the thyroid directly. The most established operation, suitable for the widest range of cases, and covered by Korean health insurance.Cost in Korea: about KRW 10.5–11.5 million (≈ CNY 55–61k)official price
Robotic thyroidectomy, bilateral axillo-breast approach Surgery
A small cut is made in each armpit and beside each areola, and the robotic instruments reach the thyroid under the skin. No scar on the neck, with a view close to traditional open surgery.Cost in Korea: about KRW 23–25 million (≈ CNY 121–132k)official price
Gasless transaxillary robotic thyroidectomy Surgery
A 4–5 cm incision is made in the armpit and the robotic instruments travel through a tunnel under the skin to the neck to remove the thyroid. No neck scar; this is the most widely used robotic thyroid operation in Korea.Cost in Korea: about KRW 23–25 million (≈ CNY 121–132k)official price
Transoral robotic thyroidectomy (TORT) Surgery
Enters from the vestibule of the mouth (inside the lower lip), leaving no incision on the body surface. Suits patients who mind any visible scar.Cost in Korea: about KRW 23–25 million (≈ CNY 121–132k)official price
Active surveillance for low-risk papillary thyroid microcarcinoma Monitoring
Papillary microcarcinoma of 1 cm or less, with no lymph node spread, no distant spread and no invasion of surrounding tissue, does not need immediate surgery and can be followed with regular ultrasound. Ultrasound and thyroid function are checked every 6 months for the first 2 years and yearly afterwards; surgery is done if the tumor grows or spreads. The Korean Thyroid Association issued a related guideline in 2025.Hospitals
Seoul National University Hospital 서울대학교병원
Birthplace of the BABA technique and lead institution of the active surveillance study for low-risk cancerSeverance Hospital, Yonsei University 세브란스병원
Highest cumulative number of robotic operations in the world; developer of the SP single-port techniqueAsan Medical Center, Seoul 서울아산병원
The hospital with the largest surgical volume in Korea; its transaxillary robotic technique has been exported abroadKorea University Anam Hospital 고려대학교 안암병원
A leading hospital for transoral robotic surgery (TORT)Doctors
Kyu Eun Lee 이규언 · Seoul National University Hospital
Co-developer of the BABA robotic thyroid operation (with Professor Yeo-Kyu Youn, 2008)[5]Woong Youn Chung 정웅윤 · Severance Hospital, Yonsei University
Listed on the website under Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery, and also on the medical team of the Robotic and Endoscopic Surgery Center[13]Hoon Yub Kim 김훈엽 · Korea University Anam Hospital
A leading doctor of transoral robotic thyroid surgery (TORT), performing about 500 operations a year[14]; Also serves as director of the hospital's international center and trains visiting doctors from Asia, the United States, Europe and Brazil[14]Tae-Yon Sung 성태연 · Asan Medical Center, Seoul
In December 2025, at the invitation of Kuwait's Ministry of Health, performed five difficult operations there, including robotic transaxillary thyroidectomy and re-operation for recurrent thyroid cancer, and trained local surgeons[15]Coming to Korea for treatment
Documents to prepare: Ultrasound report, Fine-needle aspiration pathology result (Bethesda category), Thyroid function and calcitonin tests, CT or MRI (if available)
Time in Korea: about 7~10 daysestimate, of which in hospital about 2~4 days
After returning home: Levothyroxine, thyroid function, thyroglobulin and ultrasound follow-up after surgery can be done at a top-tier hospital in your home country
FAQ
- Do Korean hospitals operate too much?
- Korea went through a controversy over overdiagnosis of thyroid cancer in 2014, after which the number of operations fell sharply. In 2025 the Korean Thyroid Association issued a recommendation that low-risk papillary microcarcinoma of 1 cm or less, with no spread or invasion, can be placed under "active observation" rather than operated on immediately. A multicenter study (MAeSTro) led by Seoul National University Hospital and others also found that observing first and operating once it progresses makes no difference to the extent of surgery or complications compared with immediate surgery.[9][10][11]
- Is robotic surgery always better than open surgery?
- Not necessarily. The advantage of robotic surgery is no scar on the neck, and the cancer outcomes are comparable to open surgery; but it costs much more: at Gibbeum Hospital, for example, robotic surgery without Korean health insurance costs a little over twice as much as open surgery. It is not suitable for tumors that are too large or have spread widely.[7][12]