Newly Diagnosed?
We Can Help Getting the correct diagnosis and the most appropriate treatment from the start is crucial 
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People with thyroid cancer have many treatment options. Treatment usually begins within a few weeks after the diagnosis. You and your doctor can work together to develop a treatment plan that is right for you.
The type of treatment you will receive is based on several factors. These include:
- Type of thyroid cancer (papillary, follicular, medullary, or anaplastic)
- Size of the nodule
- Your age
- Whether the cancer has spread to other parts of the body
Most people with thyroid cancer receive a combination of treatments. These treatments include:
Surgery
Surgery is the main type of treatment for thyroid cancer. Most patients can be successfully treated with surgery and no further curative treatment is necessary.
The extent of surgery depends on the "risk group" in which you are classified. Low- risk group patients are usually young (ages 20 to50) and have a favorable, small thyroid cancer that is confined to the thyroid gland. The majority of young patients have low-risk thyroid cancer. High-risk group patients are older individuals (older than 50) who have an extensive or aggressive thyroid cancer, which may have spread beyond the thyroid gland. The extent of surgery depends on your risk group stratification.
Your surgeon will most likely perform a procedure called thyroidectomy. This may be a lobectomy, which removes one half of the thyroid gland, or a total thyroidectomy, which removes the entire thyroid.
If your cancer has spread or is at risk of spreading to the lymph nodes, your surgeon may perform a lymphadenectomy. A lymphadenectomy is a surgery to remove the lymph nodes in the neck. A lymphadenectomy is also called a neck dissection or a lymph node dissection.
In cases where all the cancer cells are not able to be surgically removed, surgery may be followed by radioactive iodine therapy or external radiation.
Hormone Treatment
Without the thyroid gland, the body stops producing thyroid hormone, which is essential for proper metabolism and functioning. If you have surgery to remove your thyroid, you will need to begin thyroid hormone therapy.
Thyroid hormone therapy replaces the hormones that the thyroid gland usually produces. Thyroid hormone is also used to decrease the pituitary gland's production of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Because TSH could potentially cause any remaining cancer cells to grow, sufficient thyroid hormone is given to reduce TSH to desired levels.
Radioactive Iodine Therapy
Some patients may need radioactive iodine treatment after surgery. Patients with medullary thyroid cancer or anaplastic thyroid cancer are not treated with radioactive iodine.
Radioactive iodine is given in either liquid or pill form. Radioactive iodine is given to destroy any normal thyroid tissue. This allows your physicians to maintain your surveillance with blood tests to check a blood marker called thyroglobulin. As the radioactive iodine travels through the body, it is able to find and destroy any thyroid cells that were not removed by surgery or those thyroid cancer cells that have spread beyond the thyroid. Usually only one or two treatments with radioactive iodine are necessary.
In preparation for radioactive iodine treatment, most patients must stop taking thyroid replacement pills for an appropriate period of time before beginning radioactive iodine treatment to help their bodies produce more natural TSH. This approach causes cancer cells to "wake up," making them soak up more radioactive iodine.
Many patients may receive synthetic, or "man-made," human TSH before radioactive iodine therapy to increase TSH levels. This allows patients to continue taking their thyroid pills, which will help them to feel more energetic and alert.
Treatment Options for Recurrent Thyroid Cancer
Some patients may have recurrent thyroid cancer. Recurrent thyroid cancer means that the cancer has come back after you appeared to be cancer free, or in remission.
Recurrent thyroid cancer can be difficult to treat. If you have recurrent thyroid cancer, you may be treated with one or more of the following treatments:
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Surgery With or Without Radioactive Iodine Therapy
Surgery for recurrent thyroid cancer depends on the site of recurrence. Recurrence or spread to lymph nodes in the neck is the most frequent site of spread and may require an operation called neck dissection. Recurrence that involves other vital structures in the neck may require more extensive surgery.
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External Radiation Therapy
In patients with recurrent thyroid cancer, radioactive iodine therapy may not work as a treatment. Selected patients may be given external radiation therapy. Radiation uses powerful x-rays to kill thyroid cancer cells. Each treatment usually lasts just a few minutes, although setup time is also required.
Two types of external radiation therapy are commonly used to treat recurrent thyroid cancer:
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External-beam Radiation Therapy
The most common type of radiation treatment is called external-beam radiation therapy. External beam radiation uses doses of radiation delivered from outside the body, focusing on the region of the thyroid tumor. External beam radiation is usually administered as outpatient therapy five days a week for about five to six weeks.
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Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT)
IMRT is a kind of radiation therapy that uses computer images to show the size and shape of the tumor. Thin and precise beams of radiation are then aimed at the tumor from many angles from outside the body. IMRT targets tumors so efficiently that it leaves healthy tissue unharmed.
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Systemic Therapies
Chemotherapy is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. It is sometimes used to treat thyroid cancer. Chemotherapy stops the growth of cancer cells, either by killing the cells or by stopping them from multiplying. The use of chemotherapy for the treatment of thyroid cancer is determined on an individual basis and is most often given as part of a clinical trial. Many of these studies test new drugs that target the genetically defective cancer-causing proteins present in thyroid cancer.
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Bisphosphonate Therapy
If thyroid cancer has spread to your bones, you may be treated with a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, which are used to prevent bone loss, reduce the risk of fractures, and decrease pain.
