Abstract: Objective :To evaluate the rate of residual disease in the thyroid gland and that of cervical lymph node metastasis,after preliminary local resections in thyroid cancer Methods :From 1994.8～2005.2,118 thyroid cancer patients who had previously been treated with nodulectomy or subtotal lobectomy in other hospitals were reoperated Results :The rate of residual disease at the primary site was 38.1%.The lymph node metastasis rate at middle zero was 39.8%.The rate of lymph node metastasis in those with enlarged lymph nodes in the ipsilateral internal jugular chain was 37.5%.The rate of laryngeral recurrent nerve injury was 15.2% in other hospitals while that of the second operation in my hospital was 1.6% Conclusion :Nodulectomy or subtotal lobectomy alone is not indicated for thyroid cancer because of the high rate of local residual disease.It is important to be familiar with laryngeal recurrent nerve anatomy in thyroid surgery.The clearance of lymph nodes in central area is needed for differentiated thyroid cancer.