A wealth of knowledge regarding the molecular causation of thyroid carcinoma has been accumulated over the past five years. This information has already had a significant impact on the management of some forms of thyroid carcinoma. The challenge during the next 10 years will be to incorporate newly acquired information into diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to thyroid carcinoma and to coordinate use of this information with time-tested approaches to further decrease morbidity and mortality from thyroid carcinoma.