Thyroid Cancer Treatment

When you have thyroid cancer, it is important to be treated by doctors with a high level of expertise. MD Anderson has one of the largest thyroid cancer treatment programs in the country, making our physicians some of the most skilled and experienced in the nation.

If you are diagnosed with thyroid cancer, your doctor will discuss the best options to treat it. This depends on several factors, including:

• The type of thyroid cancer
• The size of the tumor
• The stage of cancer
• Your age and health

Thyroid cancer surgery

Most thyroid cancers are treated with surgery. Like all surgeries, thyroid cancer surgery is most successful when performed by a specialist with a great deal of experience in the particular procedure. There are two main types of thyroid cancer surgery:

Lobectomy/Hemithyroidectomy: In a lobectomy, only the side of the thyroid where the tumor is located is removed. This is the most common thyroid cancer surgery. Most patients with well differentiated thyroid cancer can be treated with a lobectomy unless the cancer has spread or the tumor is very large. After this procedure, some patients must take thyroid hormone replacement pills every day for the rest of their lives.

Total thyroidectomy: During this procedure, the surgeon removes the entire thyroid gland. Lymph nodes near the tumor or in the neck/chest may also be removed. This is a common surgery for thyroid cancers that are larger and/or have spread. Patients who undergo a total thyroidectomy must take thyroid hormone replacement pills daily for the rest of their lives.

Radioactive iodine for thyroid cancer

Since well differentiated thyroid cells absorb iodine, patients can be given radioactive iodine to treat their cancer. In these treatments, the patient drinks a liquid or swallows a pill that contains radioactive iodine. The iodine is absorbed by thyroid tissue and destroys cancer cells. This method can be used after a thyroidectomy to kill any remaining thyroid cells. This treatment is not effective for anaplastic or medullary thyroid cancer because those cancer cells do not absorb iodine.

If radioactive iodine is used after surgery, the patient may have to stop taking thyroid hormone pills. This helps stimulate thyroid cells to take up the radioactive iodine.

Women should not become pregnant for one year after radioactive iodine treatment.

Hormone therapy for thyroid cancer

This treatment uses thyroid hormone pills to discourage the growth of cancer cells. In differentiated thyroid cancer, hormone treatment may be used to lower the level of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). This hormone could promote the growth of thyroid cancer cells if left unchecked. In other thyroid cancers, hormone therapy may be used to keep thyroid hormone levels normal.

Targeted therapy for thyroid cancer

Targeted therapy drugs are designed to stop or slow the growth or spread of cancer. This happens on a cellular level. Cancer cells need specific molecules (often in the form of proteins) to survive, multiply and spread. These molecules are usually made by the genes that cause cancer, as well as the cells themselves. Targeted therapies are designed to interfere with, or target, these molecules or the cancer-causing genes that create them. Targeted therapy is a common treatment for advanced and/or metastatic, progressive thyroid cancer.

Learn more about targeted therapy.

Chemotherapy for thyroid cancer

Chemotherapy drugs kill cancer cells, control their growth or relieve disease-related symptoms. Chemotherapy may involve a single drug or a combination of two or more drugs, depending on the type of cancer and how fast it is growing. Chemotherapy is rarely used to treat thyroid cancer.

Learn more about chemotherapy.

Radiation therapy for thyroid cancer

Radiation therapy uses powerful, focused beams of energy to kill cancer cells. There are several different radiation therapy techniques. Doctors can use these to accurately target a tumor while minimizing damage to healthy tissue.

External beam radiation therapy is typically used to treat only the most aggressive thyroid cancers. It is most effective for thyroid cancers that do not absorb iodine, including anaplastic thyroid cancer. It may be used against thyroid cancer cells remaining after surgery or cancers that are not responding well to other treatments.

Learn more about radiation therapy.

Thyroid cancer clinical trials

As one of the world’s premier cancer centers, MD Anderson participates in many clinical trials (research studies) for thyroid cancer. Sometimes clinical trials are the best option for treatment. Research studies may also help researchers learn how to better treat cancer and improve the future of cancer treatment.

Learn more about clinical trials.