What Are the Treatments for Metastatic Thyroid Cancer?

Nearly 20,000 new cases of thyroid cancer are diagnosed annually in the United States. Treatments for metastatic thyroid cancer help to halt the spread of the disease and provide an encouraging prognosis.

Types

Papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic and thyroid lymphoma are the most common types of thyroid cancer. with the papillary form comprising nearly 80 percent of cases.

Identification

Metastasis is defined as the spreading of a disease, typically cancer, to other areas of the body. Surgical removal of the thyroid gland (thyroidectomy) is the usual strategy to prevent any advancement of cancer.

Effects

"After a thyroidectomy, the patient takes a thyroid hormone replacement drug (levothyroxine) for the rest of his or her life," according to the Mayo Clinic. This helps to control the production of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) which otherwise could result in the growth of additional cancerous cells.

Treatments

Radioactive iodine therapy is utilized to destroy any carcinoma that may remain in the gland and is also used as one of the treatments for metastatic thyroid cancer. External beam radiation is an additional technique considered in some situations.

Prognosis

The likelihood of recovery is excellent with more than 90 percent of patients being cured. "Those with papillary cancer have a better prognosis than patients with follicular cancer," says Dr. Sheldon Rubenfeld, an endocrinologist and clinical professor with the Baylor College of Medicine.

References

• Thyca.org: Prognosis of Patients with Papillary or Follicular Thyroid Cancer; Sheldon Rubenfeld, M.D.
• Mayo Clinic: Thyroid Cancer
• University of Virginia Health Systems: Department of Surgery; Thyroid Cancer

Resources

• Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association