THYROID CANCER TREATMENT

IMPORTANT POINTS

Thyroid cancer is a disease in which malignant (cancer) cells in the tissues of the thyroid

gland.

The age, sex and exposure to radiation may affect the risk of developing thyroid cancer.

Medullary cancer thyroid is sometimes caused by a change in a gene passed from parent

to child.

Signs of thyroid cancer swelling or lump in the neck are included.

To detect (find) and diagnose thyroid cancer, tests are used to examine the thyroid, neck

and blood.

Certain factors affect prognosis (chance of recovery) and treatment options.

verview of treatment options

IMPORTANT POINTS OF THERAPY

There are different types of treatment for patients with thyroid cancer.

Five types of standard treatment are used:

Surgery

Radiation therapy , including radioactive iodine treatment

Chemotherapy

Thyroid hormone therapy

Targeted therapy

They are testing new types of treatment in clinical trials.

Patients should consider participating in a clinical trial.

There are different types of treatment for patients with thyroid cancer.

There are different types of treatment available for patients with thyroid cancer

Some treatments are standard ( the currently used treatment ) , and some are being tested in

clinical trials. A treatment clinical trial is a research study meant to help improve current

treatments or obtain information on new treatments for patients with cancer. When clinical trials

show that a new treatment is better than the standard treatment, the new treatment may

become the standard treatment.

FIVE TYPES OF STANDARD TREATMENT ARE USED:

1. SURGERY

Surgery is the most common treatment for thyroid cancer. You can use one of the following:

Lobectomy: Surgery to remove the thyroid lobe where the cancer. You can perform

biopsies of lymph nodes in the area to

see if they contain cancer.

Almost total thyroidectomy-removal of

the entire thyroid except for a small

part.

Total thyroidectomy-removal of the

entire thyroid.

Lymphadenectomy-removal of lymph

nodes in the neck that contain cancer.

2. RADIATION THERAPY, INCLUDING RADIOACTIVE IODINE TREATMENT

Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy X-rays or other types of radiation to

kill cancer cells or keep them from growing. There are two types of

radiation. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body

to send radiation toward the cancer. Internal radiation therapy uses a

radioactive substance sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters

that are placed directly into or near the cancer. The way the radiation

therapy is given depends on the type of cancer the stage of the

cancer being treated.

May be given radiation therapy after surgery to kill any cancer cells in the thyroid she was not

removed. Thyroid follicular cancer and papillary thyroid cancer are sometimes treated with

radioactive iodine (RAI). RAI is taken by mouth and collects in any remaining thyroid tissue, even in

thyroid cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body. Since only thyroid tissue takes up

iodine, the RAI destroys thyroid tissue and cancerous thyroid tissue without damaging other

tissues. Before administering a full dose treatment with RAI, a small test dose is administered to

determine if the tumor absorbs iodine.

3. CHEMOTHERAPY

Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses drugs to stop

the growth of cancer cells, either by killing or stopping them

from dividing. When chemotherapy is taken by mouth or

injected into a vein or muscle, the drugs enter the

bloodstream and can reach cancer cells throughout the body

(systemic chemotherapy). When chemotherapy is placed

directly into the cerebrospinal fluid, an organ, or a body cavity such as the abdomen, the drugs

mainly affect cancer cells in those areas (regional chemotherapy). The way the chemotherapy is

given depends on the type and stage of cancer being treated.

4. THYROID HORMONE THERAPY

Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment that removes

or blocking the action of hormones and stops the

growth of cancer cells. Hormones are substances

produced by glands in the body and circulate in the

bloodstream. In the case of treatment of thyroid

cancer you can be given drugs to prevent the body

from making the thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH),

a hormone that can increase the probability of

thyroid cancer grow or recur.

Furthermore, since the treatment of thyroid cancer destroys thyroid cells, the thyroid can not

produce enough thyroid hormone. It is administered to patients pills thyroid hormone

replacement.

5. TARGETED THERAPY

Targeted therapy is a type of treatment that uses drugs or other substances to identify and attack

specific cancer cells without harming normal cells. Therapy with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor is a

type of targeted therapy that blocks signals that tumors need to grow.

Vandetanib and sorafenib are tyrosine kinase inhibitors used to treat certain types of thyroid

cancer.