Thyroid Cancer Treatments

Treatment

Once thyroid cancer is found, staging tests (possibly including CT scans and PET scans ) are done to find out if the cancer has spread. Treatment depends on the stage of the cancer.

Depending on how much of the thyroid gland is removed, you may need to take thyroid hormone pills after surgery.

This uses large doses of radioactive iodine to destroy the thyroid gland and thyroid cancer without affecting the rest of the body. This treatment is used to destroy thyroid tissue not removed by surgery and to treat thyroid cancer that has spread to lymph nodes and other parts of the body.

This is the use of radiation to kill cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation is directed at the tumor from a source outside the body.

This is the use of drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be given in many forms including: pill, injection, and via a catheter. The drugs enter the bloodstream and travel through the body killing mostly cancer cells, but also some healthy cells. Chemotherapy to treat thyroid cancer is still investigational. Chemotherapy has not been shown to effectively control or kill thyroid cancer.

If you are diagnosed with thyroid cancer, follow your doctor's instructions .