Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer. Most of patients with DTC are characterized by low invasiveness and good prognosis. With the development of medical imaging, fine needle biopsy and molecular biology technology, especially the progress of surgical technology, the early diagnosis rate of DTC and the survival rate after operation are significantly increased. However, the cognition understanding of DTC and some views of surgical treatment are still controversial. A systematic review and summary of the diagnosis and surgical treatment of DTC are made based on the changes in the past 40 years, especially the treatment strategy, surgical resection scope and indications of DTC primary focus and cervical lymph node metastasis, in order to propose a more reasonable and accurate individual diagnosis and treatment plan for patients with DTC.