Q) A 30-year-old female is diagnosed with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) following a fine-needle aspiration biopsy. Ultrasound shows a 1.8 cm solid nodule in the left thyroid lobe, and the ultrasound reveals no evidence of cervical lymphadenopathy. The patient's medical history is unremarkable, and she has no family history of thyroid cancer. According to the NCCN guidelines, which of the following management strategies is MOST appropriate for this patient?
A. Total thyroidectomy, as the tumor size exceeds 1 cm and there is a risk of contralateral disease.
B. Lobectomy with careful monitoring, as there is no extrathyroidal extension or lymph node involvement, and the tumor size is less than 2 cm.
C. Active surveillance with regular follow-up and ultrasound monitoring, given the tumor size and absence of aggressive features.
D. Lobectomy followed by radioactive iodine ablation to reduce the risk of recurrence.