The Department of Endocrine & Thyroid Surgery at Hammersmith Hospital is the
UK’s first centre for thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal surgery.
In collaboration with our endocrinologists the department assesses and treats patients with all types of benign and malignant thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal disorders including patients with genetic syndromes.
We serve patients from London, the UK and internationally.
We are proud to report our data for the 4 years from 2000 to 2024 as entered in the UK’s mandatory registry of Thyroid and Endocrine Surgery (UKRETS). Despite the continued effects of the COVID 19 pandemic we have helped a total of 2464 patients with surgery as per the chart.
We continue to audit and publish our outcomes in order to focus on quality of care for our patients with low complication rates and short lengths of stay.
Thyroid cancer represents a key part of the surgical practice in the Department of Thyroid & Endocrine Surgery at Hammersmith Hospital. Between 2020 and 2024 the 3 surgeons offering the departmental thyroid surgery service have performed 1371 thyroidectomies of which over 350 were for clinically significant thyroid cancers including re-operative surgery and cervical lymph node dissections. In collaboration with our airway surgeons we also treat the rare patients that require tracheal for locally advanced cancers. Our cancer service, to our knowledge, also treats more patients with rare thyroid cancers than any other surgical service nationally. In addition there are countless microcarcinomas (low risk papillary tumours of under 10mm) that where appropriate can be treated with surveillance.
All suspected or confirmed thyroid cancers are discussed at the West London Thyroid Cancer MDT which has been chaired for over 10 years by Prof Neil Tolley. From 2026 we welcome consultant endocrinologist Dr Jeremy Cox to the thyroid MDT chairing role with one of the 3 surgeons acting as deputy chair when he is on leave.
Our aim is to guarantee that each patient’s care is provided with the most robust decision process and international standard outcomes and low complication rates that are submitted to the BAETS national registry.
Our annual meeting brings together endocrinologists with surgeons with an interest in endocrine pathology. The attendance has returned to pre- COVID levels with over 230
We were delighted to have a delegation visiting from the USA on the occasion of the Hammersmith Endocrine Symposium. This was a great opportunity to
The challenges of the optimal timing of parathyroid surgery in MEN1 syndrome patients and the available surgical strategies that may be adopted are discussed. The
'Posterior Retroperitoneoscopic Versus Laparoscopic Transperitoneal Adrenalectomy: A Systematic Review by Updated Meta-Analysis'
Our most recent research on these techniques of minimally invasive adrenalectomy was published on the 27th August in the World Journal of Surgery.
Access the full text here
