Treatments for Thyroid cancer
Treatments for Thyroid cancer
The list of treatments mentioned in various sources
for Thyroid cancer
includes the following list.
Always seek professional medical advice about any treatment
or change in treatment plans.
- Surgery
- Total thyroidectomy
- Lobectomy (thyroid)
- Local lymph node removal
- Parathyroid gland removal - often removed with the thyroid
- Radiation
- Hormone treatment - usually for papillary and follicular thyroid cancer.
- Thyroid hormone pills - for hyothyroidism; needed after thyroid removal or thyroid treatment.
- Anti-thyroid medications - for hyperthyroidism
- Chemotherapy
Thyroid cancer: Is the Diagnosis Correct?
The first step in getting correct treatment is
to get a correct diagnosis.
Differential diagnosis list for Thyroid cancer may include:
Hidden causes of Thyroid cancer may be incorrectly diagnosed:
Thyroid cancer: Marketplace Products, Discounts & Offers
Products, offers and promotion categories available for Thyroid cancer:
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Drugs and Medications used to treat Thyroid cancer:
Note:You must always seek professional medical advice about any prescription drug, OTC drug, medication, treatment
or change in treatment plans.
Some of the different medications used in the treatment of Thyroid cancer include:
- Levothyroxine
- Alti-Thyroxine
- Armour Thyroid
- Eltroxin
- Euthroid
- Euthyrox
- Levo-T
- Levotabs
- Levothroid
- Levoxine
- Levoxyl
- L-Thyroxine
- Proloid
- Synthroid
- Synthrox
- Syroxine
- Thyroid USP
- Thyrolar
- Liothyronine
- Cyronine
- Cytomel
- Thyrolar 1, ¼, ½, 2, 3
- Triostat
- Sodium Iodide
Hospital statistics for Thyroid cancer:
These medical statistics relate to hospitals, hospitalization and Thyroid cancer:
- 0.72% (91,298) of hospital episodes were for malignant neoplasms of thyroid and other endocrine glands in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- 86% of hospital consultations for malignant neoplasms of thyroid and other endocrine glands required hospital admission in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- 40% of hospital episodes for malignant neoplasms of thyroid and other endocrine glands were for men in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- 60% of hospital episodes for malignant neoplasms of thyroid and other endocrine glands were for women in England 2002-03 (Hospital Episode Statistics, Department of Health, England, 2002-03)
- more hospital information...»
Hospitals & Medical Clinics: Thyroid cancer
Research quality ratings and patient incidents/safety measures
for hospitals and medical facilities in specialties related to Thyroid cancer:
Hospital & Clinic quality ratings » »
Choosing the Best Treatment Hospital:
More general information, not necessarily in relation to Thyroid cancer,
on hospital and medical facility performance and surgical care quality:
Discussion of treatments for Thyroid cancer:
What You Need To Know About Thyroid Cancer: NCI (Excerpt)
People with thyroid cancer have many treatment options.
Depending on the type and stage, thyroid cancer may be treated
with surgery ,
radioactive
iodine , hormone
treatment , external
radiation , or chemotherapy .
Some patients receive a combination of treatments. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Thyroid Cancer: NCI)
What You Need To Know About Thyroid Cancer: NCI (Excerpt)
Surgery is the most common treatment for thyroid
cancer. The surgeon may remove all or part of the thyroid. The
type of surgery depends on the type and stage of thyroid
cancer, the size of the nodule, and the patient's age.
-
Total thyroidectomy
-- Surgery to remove the entire thyroid is called a total
thyroidectomy. The surgeon removes the thyroid through an
incision
in the neck. Nearby lymph nodes are sometimes removed, too.
If the pathologist finds cancer cells in the lymph nodes, it
means that the disease could spread to other parts of the
body. In a small number of cases, the surgeon removes other
tissues in the neck that have been affected by the cancer.
Some patients who have a total thyroidectomy also receive
radioactive iodine or external radiation
therapy .
-
Lobectomy
-- Some patients with papillary or follicular thyroid cancer
may be treated with lobectomy. The lobe with the cancerous
nodule is removed. The surgeon also may remove part of the
remaining thyroid tissue or nearby lymph nodes. Some
patients who have a lobectomy receive radioactive iodine
therapy or additional surgery to remove remaining thyroid
tissue.
Nearly all patients who have part or all of the thyroid
removed will take thyroid hormone pills to replace the natural
hormone.
After the initial surgery, the doctor may need to operate
on the neck again for thyroid cancer that has spread. Patients
who have this surgery also may receive I-131 therapy or
external radiation therapy to treat thyroid cancer that has
spread.
|
These are some questions a person may want to ask the
doctor before having surgery:
-
What kind of operation will I have?
-
How will I feel after the operation?
-
What will you do for me if I have pain?
-
How long will I be in the hospital?
-
Will I have any long-term effects?
-
When can I get back to my normal activities?
-
What will my scar look like?
-
What is my chance of a full recovery?
-
Will I need to take thyroid hormone pills?
-
How often will I need
checkups? |
Radioactive iodine therapy (also called radioiodine
therapy) uses radioactive iodine (I-131) to destroy thyroid
cancer cells anywhere in the body. The therapy usually is
given by mouth (liquid or capsules) in a small dose that
causes no problems for people who are allergic to iodine. The
intestine absorbs the I-131, which flows through the
bloodstream and collects in thyroid cells. Thyroid cancer
cells remaining in the neck and those that have spread to
other parts of the body are killed when they absorb I-131.
If the dose of I-131 is low enough, the patient usually
receives I-131 as an outpatient. If the dose is high, the
doctor may protect others from radiation exposure by isolating
the patient in the hospital during the treatment. Most
radiation is gone in a few days. Within 3 weeks, only traces
of radioactive iodine remain in the body.
Patients with medullary thyroid cancer or anaplastic
thyroid cancer generally do not receive I-131 treatment. These
types of thyroid cancer rarely respond to I-131 therapy.
Hormone treatment after surgery is usually part of
the treatment plan for papillary and follicular cancer. When a
patient takes thyroid hormone pills, the growth of any
remaining thyroid cancer cells slows down, which lowers the
chance that the disease will return.
After surgery or I-131 therapy (which removes or destroys
thyroid tissue), people with thyroid cancer may need to take
thyroid hormone pills to replace the natural thyroid
hormone.
|
People may want to ask these questions about
radioactive iodine (I-131) therapy or hormone
therapy:
-
Why do I need this treatment?
-
What will it do?
-
Will I need to stay in the hospital for this
treatment?
-
Will it cause side effects? What can I do about
them?
-
How long will I be on this treatment?
-
How often will I need
checkups? |
External radiation therapy (also called
radiotherapy) uses high-energy rays to kill cancer cells. A
large machine directs radiation at the neck or at parts of the
body where the cancer has spread.
External radiation therapy is local
therapy . It affects cancer cells only in the treated
area. External radiation therapy is used mainly to treat
people with advanced thyroid cancer that does not respond to
radioactive iodine therapy. For external radiation therapy,
patients go to the hospital or clinic, usually 5 days a week
for several weeks. External radiation may also be used to
relieve pain or other problems.
|
These are some questions a person may want to ask the
doctor before having external radiation therapy:
-
Why do I need this treatment?
-
When will the treatments begin? When will they
end?
-
How will I feel during therapy? Are there side
effects?
-
What can I do to take care of myself during
therapy?
-
How will we know if the radiation is working?
-
Will I be able to continue my normal activities
during treatment?
-
How often will I need
checkups? |
Chemotherapy, the use of drugs to kill cancer cells,
is sometimes used to treat thyroid cancer. Chemotherapy is
known as systemic
therapy because the drugs enter the bloodstream and
travel throughout the body. For some patients, chemotherapy
may be combined with external radiation therapy. (Source: excerpt from What You Need To Know About Thyroid Cancer: NCI)
Buy Products Related to Treatments for Thyroid cancer
Book Excerpts: Treatment of Thyroid cancer
Treatments of Thyroid cancer: Online Medical Books
16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE!
Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration,
for more information about the treatments of Thyroid cancer.
Thyroid cancer:
Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
❑Total or subtotal thyroidectomy, with modified node dissection (bilateral or unilateral) on the side of the primary cancer (papillary or follicular cancer)
❑Total thyroidectomy and radical neck excision (for medullary, giant, or spindle cell cancer)
❑Radiation (131I) with external radiation (for inoperable cancer and sometimes postoperatively in lieu of radical neck excision) or alone (for metastasis)
❑Adjunctive thyroid suppression, with exogenous thyroid hormones suppressing TSH production, and simultaneous administration of an adrenergic blocking agent such as propranolol, increasing tolerance to surgery and radiation
❑Chemotherapy for symptom-producing, widespread metastasis is limited, but doxorubicin is sometimes beneficial.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Malignant spinal neoplasms:
Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Treatment of spinal cord tumors generally includes decompression or radiation. Laminectomy is indicated for primary tumors that produce spinal cord or cauda equina compression; it isn't usually indicated for metastatic tumors. If the tumor is slowly progressive or if it's treated before the cord degenerates from compression, symptoms are likely to disappear, and complete restoration of function is possible. In a patient with metastatic carcinoma or lymphoma who suddenly experiences complete transverse myelitis with spinal shock, functional improvement is unlikely, even with treatment, and his outlook is ominous. If the patient has incomplete paraplegia of rapid onset, emergency surgical decompression may save cord function. Steroid therapy with dexamethasone minimizes cord edema and temporarily relieves symptoms until surgery can be performed. Partial removal of intramedullary gliomas, followed by radiation, may alleviate symptoms for a short time. Metastatic extradural tumors can be controlled with radiation, analgesics and, in the case of hormone-mediated tumors (breast and prostate), appropriate hormone therapy. Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) may control radicular pain from spinal cord tumors and is a useful alternative to opioid analgesics. In TENS, an electrical charge is applied to the skin to stimulate large-diameter nerve fibers and thereby inhibit transmission of pain impulses through small-diameter nerve fibers. Chemotherapy generally hasn't proven effective against most spinal tumors, but may be recommended in some cases.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Thyroiditis:
Treatment
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))
Appropriate treatment varies with the type of thyroiditis. Drug therapy includes levothyroxine for accompanying hypothyroidism, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs for mild subacute granulomatous thyroiditis, propranolol for transient hyperthyroidism, and steroids for severe episodes of acute inflammation. Suppurative thyroiditis requires antibiotic therapy. A partial thyroidectomy may be necessary to relieve tracheal or esophageal compression in Riedel’s thyroiditis.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
Thyroid enlargement:
Patient counseling
(Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition))
Instruct the patient to watch for signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as lethargy, restlessness, dry skin, and sensitivity to cold. Advise the patient with Graves’disease to use artificial tears frequently if proptosis causes his eyes to become dry. If the hyperthyroid patient is receiving therapy with radioactive iodine, tell him not to expectorate or cough freely after treatment because his saliva is radioactive for 24 hours.
Inform the patient that lifelong thyroid hormone replacement therapy is necessary after thyroidectomy or radioactive destruction of the thyroid gland. Tell him to watch for signs of an overdose, such as nervousness and palpitations.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Professional Guide to Signs & Symptoms (Fifth Edition), 2006
Thyroid cancer:
Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)
❑ Total or subtotal thyroidectomy, with modified node dissection (bilateral or unilateral) on the side of the primary cancer (papillary or follicular cancer)
❑ Total thyroidectomy and radical neck excision (for medullary, giant, or spindle cell cancer)
❑ Radiation (with or without surgery)
❑ Adjunctive thyroid suppression, with exogenous thyroid hormones suppressing thyrotropin production, and simultaneous administration of an adrenergic blocking agent such as propranolol, increasing tolerance to surgery and radiation
❑ Chemotherapy for symptomatic, widespread metastasis is limited, but doxorubicin is sometimes beneficial.
UNDER STUDY: Researchers are excited about recent advancements in the treatment of thyroid cancer:
❑ Researchers have identified the genetic cause of medullary thyroid carcinoma, which makes it possible to identify carriers of the abnormal gene.
❑ Improvements in imaging studies have proven helpful in the treatment of patients who present with clinically challenging conditions such as the presence of antithyroglobulin antibodies.
❑ New treatments such as the use of agents to improve iodine uptake in follicular cell tumors are in early investigation.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Thyroiditis:
Treatment
(Handbook of Diseases)
Appropriate treatment varies with the type of thyroiditis. Drug therapy includes levothyroxine for accompanying hypothyroidism, analgesics and anti-inflammatory drugs for mild subacute granulomatous thyroiditis, propranolol for transient thyrotoxicosis, and ster-oids for severe episodes of acute inflammation. Suppurative thyroiditis requires antibiotic therapy.
A partial thyroidectomy may be necessary to relieve tracheal or esophageal compression in Riedel’s thyroiditis.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Handbook of Diseases, 2003
Thyroid enlargement:
Patient counseling
(Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses)
Instruct the patient to watch for signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism, such as lethargy, restlessness, dry skin, and sensitivity to cold. If the patient has Graves’disease, proptosis may cause his eyes to become dry, so advise him to use artificial tears frequently. If the hyperthyroid patient is receiving therapy with radioactive iodine, tell him not to expectorate or cough freely after treatment because his saliva is radioactive for 24 hours. If the patient has a goiter, support him as he expresses his feelings related to his appearance.
After thyroidectomy or radioactive destruction of the thyroid gland, explain to the patient that lifelong thyroid hormone replacement therapy is necessary. Tell him to watch for signs of overdose, such as nervousness and palpitations.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Signs & Symptoms: A 2-in-1 Reference for Nurses, 2007
Thyroid enlargement:
Nursing considerations
(Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms)
▪ Prepare the patient for diagnostic tests, which may include needle aspiration, ultrasound, and radioactive thyroid scanning.
▪ Prepare the patient for surgery or radiation therapy, if necessary.
▪ Provide specific interventions, depending on whether the patient is hypothyroid or has thyroiditis.
▪ Provide postoperative care for the patient who has undergone thyroidectomy.
Patient teaching
▪ Explain the underlying disorder and treatment plan.
▪ Explain the signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism to report.
▪ Explain posttreatment precautions to the patient undergoing radioactive iodine therapy.
▪ Teach thyroid hormone replacement therapy and signs of thyroid hormone overdose to report.
» READ BOOK EXCERPT ONLINE »
Source: Nursing: Interpreting Signs and Symptoms, 2007
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