I used to have a lump on the right side. It was the size of my thumb. Had it for a few years, didn't pay much attention to it. Ignore it and it will go away was my motto. Last year (Aug?) I started taking Iodine for different reasons. That lump hurt in the beginning, not much, not enough for me to panic.
Last week I looked at the link posted by grizz "The amazing history of iodine". There was a picture of the thyroid. This caused be to check on my lump. I can't see it anymore but can feel a small remnant of it - if I press hard.
Mind you, this lump wasn't checked by a doc so I don't know what kind it was. All I know is that I lost a lump :)