Abstract: Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignment tumor, with a high incidence and high recurrence rate. Thermal ablation has shown a broad application prospect in treating recurrent thyroid cancer due to the advantages of minimally invasive, convenient operation, few complications, etc. It has been recommended by several guidelines at home and abroad. Based on the published papers and guidelines/ consensus, this review aims to summarize the effectiveness, safety, and main problems of thermal ablation for recurrent thyroid cancer and propose prospects for its development.