Thyroid Cancer Treatment
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Finding the right place to get thyroid cancer treatment can be overwhelming. There's so much to figure out. You don't just want the best. You need care that's the best for you.
At UVA Health, you'll find a team of experts in thyroid cancer care. With a deep level of expertise, our experts helped develop the guidelines for treating thyroid cancer that has spread to places like the carotid artery or windpipe (trachea).
Treatment for even these aggressive, advanced thyroid cancers has come far. We've even been able to offer a cure for some people facing a disease that long had a less than 1-year life expectancy.
A Second Opinion
After receiving a devastating prognosis for aggressive thyroid cancer, Lorraine came to UVA Health for a second opinion.
LORRAINE ROBERTS
We just assume we're going to get up and everything's going to be the same as it was yesterday.
My name is Lorraine Roberts. I was born in Franklin County.
ANN SLED
When I first heard Lorraine's diagnosis, I was in line to pick up my grandchildren from school, and I was devastated.
LORRAINE ROBERTS
I was coughing up blood and I went to the doctor. After several weeks, they did an x-ray. That's when they said it was cancer and started the treatments.
They just didn't think it could be operated on. The radiation was so hard and the chemo was just sick as a dog. Couldn't eat anything, couldn't swallow.
That's when I went to see the endocrinologist and he said, "With your permission, I'd like to refer you to Dr. Shonka at UVA." So I said, "Well, sure." So they called me in 15 minutes and we had an appointment set up for the next week.
DAVID SHONKA, MD
So her thyroid cancer was invading into her windpipe, which is what was causing her to have the episodes of coughing up blood. When she was initially seen, it was thought that it would be too risky to do surgery for her. You know she was a little discouraged about how things were going, but really wanted to fight this and beat this cancer. And so even though she had an aggressive tumor and we could tell that surgery was going to be a pretty substantial undertaking, she seemed like she was up for it.
LORRAINE ROBERTS
I said, "Are you sure you've done these before?" And he said, "If I didn't think I could do it, I wouldn't put you through it."
DAVID SHONKA, MD
We did a thyroidectomy, which means removing the thyroid gland in its entirety, but because it was also invading into the windpipe, we had to remove a segment of the windpipe. It's a complex and technically challenging surgery to save those nerves and to remove the cancer in its entirety. Thankfully, it went beautifully, and she did great.
LORRAINE ROBERTS
When I came home from the hospital, the kids had all put up signs all along this private road, "welcome home" and all this stuff. It was just so neat.
DAVID SHONKA, MD
So for advanced thyroid cancer, best treatment is surgery. When you put the experience of the providers and the team that we have here, and you add to that a patient who's motivated and in relatively good health and determined, we get great outcomes.
ANN SLED
I do think about what would've happened if she hadn't gone for that second opinion. You know we would've lost her.
LORRAINE ROBERTS
I know that I have an appointed time to die. I know the Lord's with me. I know the Lord takes care of all that. I had a pretty good outlook on life already. I think I've always been pretty positive. Just makes me realize how precious every day is.
Advanced Thyroid Cancer Treatment at UVA Health
UVA Health is home to Virginia's first National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center. This title means we're a leader in cancer research, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Our excellence goes beyond treatment. You'll also discover a deep level of commitment to you as a person. We work with you and your family to make a plan that gives you the best possible outcome.
Very few centers have a thyroid cancer tumor board. This means a team of experts comes together to review your case. They'll review the tumor's genetic profile, imaging, and pathology reports of tissue samples. Together, they'll come up with the best treatment plan.
Surgery for Thyroid Cancer
We treat most thyroid cancers with surgery. We remove part or all of your thyroid.
Although rare, aggressive thyroid cancers can spread to the windpipe and other areas. At UVA Health, you'll find the expertise to successfully treat even these more advanced cancers.
We even have a treatment to shrink thyroid tumors so we can then operate on them. We need to shrink them so we can remove the cancer without damaging your voice or breathing ability.
IMRT
We offer intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). This therapy targets high-dose radiation on the tumor with great precision. The radiation kills the tumor without hurting healthy tissue. For you, this means fewer side effects and an easier recovery.
Radioactive Iodine Therapy
Your thyroid gland takes in nearly all of the body's iodine. This means we can give you radioactive iodine to destroy the thyroid tissue - and thus the cancer.
We can even use this method to kill any thyroid cancer that has spread to lymph nodes and other places.
This therapy doesn't hurt other parts of your body. If you have questions about the use of radiation in therapy, ask your care team. We can walk you through the process.
Types of Thyroid Tumors
Most thyroid tumors are not cancer. These thyroid nodules are benign. Only about 10% of these are cancerous. The four main types of thyroid cancer include:
- Papillary and follicular thyroid cancer
- Medullary thyroid cancer
- Anaplastic thyroid cancer
- Hurthle cell cancer
We can treat most types of thyroid cancer with a small surgery.
Anaplastic is one of the most aggressive types of thyroid cancer. For many years, we had no treatment for it. But now we know certain types of anaplastic thyroid cancer respond well to targeted therapy.
If you have anaplastic thyroid cancer, we'll test the cancer for a certain genetic mutation. If we find the mutation, we can then treat your cancer. This treatment helps shrink the tumor so we can then remove the cancer with surgery.
Is it Thyroid Cancer?
Symptoms of thyroid cancer include:
- Swelling or lump in neck
- Neck pain
- Hoarse voice
- Noisy breathing, wheezing
- Cough
- Difficulty swallowing
The diagnosis and prognosis of thyroid cancer requires a number of blood and physical exams, as well as imaging scans.
Who's at Risk for Thyroid Cancer?
Women are about three times as likely as men to develop this type of cancer. The average thyroid cancer patient is 45–50 years old when diagnosed. Older people are more likely to develop aggressive types of thyroid cancer like anaplastic.
Your risk of developing cancer increases due to:
- Family history and genetic makeup
- Exposure to radiation
- Iodine deficiency
- Geographic location (Incidence of thyroid cancer is highest in the Hawaiian and Polynesian islands and lowest in Poland)
If you carry the RET gene, you may be advised to have your thyroid removed at a very early age to avoid the very high risk of developing medullary thyroid cancer. After your thyroid is removed, you'll need to take medicine daily. This medicine replaces the hormone produced by your thyroid.