Abstract Total thyroidectomy with excision of any enlarged cervical lymph nodes was the usual operation practised for carcinoma of the thyroid in this series. Extended thyroidectomy afforded cures in some patients with locally advanced disease. Preoperative drill biopsy of the goitre was a useful procedure. Other noteworthy features were the increasing occurrence of papillary carcinoma and the comparatively high incidence of malignancy in solitary nodules.