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Background We have shown in a randomized controlled trial that a computerized patient decision aid (P-DA) improves medical knowledge and reduces decisional conflict, in early stage papillary thyroid cancer patients considering adjuvant radioactive iodine treatment. Our objectives were to examine the relationship between participants’ baseline information preference style and the following: 1) quantity of detailed information obtained within the P-DA, and 2) medical knowledge. Methods We randomized participants to exposure to a one-time viewing of a computerized P-DA (with usual care) or usual care alone. In pre-planned secondary analyses, we examined the relationship between information preference style (Miller Behavioural Style Scale, including respective monitoring [information seeking preference] and blunting [information avoidance preference] subscale scores) and the following: 1) the quantity of detailed information obtained from the P-DA (number of supplemental information clicks), and 2) medical knowledge. Spearman correlation values were calculated to quantify relationships, in the entire study population and respective study arms. Results In the 37 P-DA users, high monitoring information preference was moderately positively correlated with higher frequency of detailed information acquisition in the P-DA (r = 0.414, p = 0.011). The monitoring subscale score weakly correlated with increased medical knowledge in the entire study population (r = 0.268, p = 0.021, N = 74), but not in the respective study arms. There were no significant associations with the blunting subscale score. Conclusions Individual variability in information preferences may affect the process of information acquisition from computerized P-DA’s. More research is needed to understand how individual information preferences may impact medical knowledge acquisition and decision-making. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12911-015-0168-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

OBJECTIVE To delineate the evolution of thyroid cancer using the Volgelstein model of cancer evolution and to demonstrate the genetic "hits" in the development of undifferentiated cancer from normal thyroid cells. METHOD Immunohistochemical and molecular biologic techniques were used to delineate the prevalence of (1) the ras oncogene, (2) p53, and (3) the ret/PTC oncogene in the development of differentiated thyroid cancer from normal cells and hyperplasia. The evolution of differentiated thyroid cancer to the dedifferentiated or anaplastic type was also investigated. The methodology used was standard immunohistochemical staining techniques as well as polymerase chain reaction technology for the elucidation of these various oncogenes and tumour suppressor genes. RESULTS We have demonstrated that there is a high preponderance of ras and ret/PTC oncogenes in the evolution of thyroid cancer. Further along the continuum, p53 has been demonstrated to be prevalent in the development of dedifferentiated thyroid cancer (i.e., tall cell and insular variety as well as anaplastic cancer). CONCLUSION Several genetic hits have been demonstrated to be prevalent in the evolution of thyroid cancer. These are preliminary oncogenic maps, and further work in this area will help to establish a definite biologic pattern in the development of this malignancy.