The aim of this retrospective study was to assess the role of lymphectomy in the treatment of well differentiated and aggressive carcinomas of the thyroid gland. From 1987 to 2002, 231 patients were operated on in our Division; 97 were male (42%) and 134 female (58%), with a mean age of 48 years (range 17-45). One hundred and ninety-four patients had well differentiated thyroid carcinomas, and 37 aggressive thyroid cancer. We performed a follow-up on 171/231 patients (74%) who underwent surgery from 1997 to 1998. Among the 143 patients with well differentiated neoplasms, 93 were treated with total thyroidectomy (65%), and 50 with total thyroidectomy with simultaneous or subsequent lymphectomy (35%); 92 patients underwent postsurgical radiomethabolic therapy (64%). Two patients developed non-functional metastases and died because of disease progression. Of the 28 patients affected by aggressive tumours, 8 underwent total thyroidectomy (29%) and 20 total thyroidectomy with simultaneous or subsequent central lymphectomy (71 %). All 28 patients with aggressive malignancies underwent postsurgical radiomethabolic therapy (100%). Three patients developed diffuse non-functional metastases and died because of disease progression.