Treatment

TREATMENT OPTIONS BY STAGE

Stage I and II Papillary and Follicular Thyroid Cancer

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Surgery to remove the thyroid (total thyroidectomy). This may be followed by hormone therapy and radioactive iodine.
2. Surgery to remove one lobe of the thyroid (lobectomy), followed by hormone therapy. Radioactive iodine also may be given following surgery.

Stage III Papillary and Follicular Thyroid Cancer

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Surgery to remove the entire thyroid (total thyroidectomy) and lymph nodes where cancer has spread.
2. Total thyroidectomy followed by radiation therapy with radioactive iodine or external-beam radiation therapy.

Stage IV Papillary and Follicular Thyroid Cancer

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Radioactive iodine.
2. External-beam radiation therapy.
3. Surgery to remove the cancer from places where it has spread.
4. Hormone therapy.
5. A clinical trial of new treatments, including chemotherapy.

Medullary Thyroid Cancer

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Total thyroidectomy for tumors in the thyroid only. Lymph nodes in the neck may also be removed.
2. Radiation therapy for tumors that come back in the thyroid as palliative treatment to relieve symptoms and improve the patient's quality of life.
3. Chemotherapy for cancer that has spread to other parts of the body, as palliative treatment to relieve symptoms and improve the patient's quality of life.

Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer

Treatment may be one of the following:

1. Surgery to create an opening in the windpipe, for tumors that block the airway. This is called a tracheostomy.
2. Total thyroidectomy to reduce symptoms if the tumor is in the area of the thyroid only.
3. External-beam radiation therapy.
4. Chemotherapy.
5. Clinical trials of chemotherapy and radiation therapy following thyroidectomy.
6. Clinical trials studying new methods of treatment of thyroid cancer.

Reference:

National Cancer Institute, USA.