According to the National Cancer Institute, there are about 56,000 new cases of thyroid cancer each year. Depending on the type of cancer, there are different treatment options available. Fortunately, most thyroid cancer is curable with proper treatment.
The most common types of thyroid cancer, papillary and follicular, make up more than 90 percent of all cases and these have a 97 percent cure rate with treatment,
says Endocrine Web. The other two types of thyroid cancer are called medullary and anaplastic. These are rare types and their prognosis is far less favorable because they typically involve cancer that has spread to lymph nodes and requires much more aggressive forms of treatment and monitoring.
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According to the National Cancer Institute, there are five main types of treatment for thyroid cancer:
1. Surgery is often used to remove small or large parts of the thyroid or even the entire thyroid and surrounding lymph nodes if necessary.
2. Radiation therapy uses high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells and keep the cancer from progressing. It can be used as a primary treatment, but more often is used after surgery to kill cancer that was not removed during the operation.
3. Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells and stop them from growing. The type of drug used depends on the type and aggressiveness of the thyroid cancer.
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4. Thyroid hormone therapy uses drugs to block certain hormones to stop cancer from growing. Some drugs stop the body from making thyroid-stimulating hormone, or TSH, because it increases the risk that thyroid cancer will grow or come back after treatment. Additionally, thyroid hormone therapy is also used to replace thyroid hormones needed by the body if the thyroid gland was completely removed during surgery.
5. Targeted therapy is an approach that uses drugs to identify and attack cancer cells only while leaving normal cells intact.
The University of Texas MD Cancer Center says treatment options will depend on the patient’s age and overall health, the size of the nodule or tumor, and the type and stage of the cancer. They encourage patients to discuss the the best treatment options with their physicians, including those options that may still be under investigation in clinical trials.
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