Finding thyroid expert ? reading tells me large percentage of thyroid/nodules removed are benign. medical papers refer to finding needle in haystack.

Often benign: Thyroid nodules are very common. They have to be looked at in the context of thyroid function - whether it is normal, high or low. A lot of them do not require biopsy. Especially small nodules less than 1 CM in size can be watched with repeat ultrasounds. Larger ones or growing ones should be biopsied to rule out cancer.

Cancer < 5%: Thyroid nodules are very common, especially as we get older. You are correct, most thyroid nodules removed are benign. There is a small risk of cancer in most nodules, but the risk goes up with significant medically history, like family history of thyroid cancer or history of neck radiation.