Outcome in 190 patients operated upon by first intention for thyroid cancer is analyzed after follow up over more than 5 years. No deaths due to cancer occurred in 57 cases of papillary cancer, but 7 cases presented pulmonary metastases, while the global-5-year survival rate in 63 cases of vesicular cancer (including 25% with preoperative metastases) was 60%. In the absence of preoperative metastases, ans if well differentiated forms are separated from moderately differentiated forms, the respective 5-year survivals were 88 and 45%. The 1-year survival rate for the 42 cases of anaplastic cancer was 15%, while the 5-year rate for 15 cases of medullary cancer was 80%.