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Thyroid Cancer Radiation Treatment

Once a diagnosis of thyroid cancer has been given, the patient will need to have surgery followed by radioactive iodine therapy if the tumor is benign or radiation therapy is the tumor is inoperable. They each have their own procedure and risk factors. The key is a speedy diagnosis and quick treatment.

  1. Radiation Therapy

    • Radiation therapy uses a type of energy called ionizing radiation to reduce the size of tumors. Radiation therapy is used for malignant tumors that are inoperable. It is also used in cases of thyroid cancer where the risk of recurrence is high. With radiation therapy, an external beam is aimed at the area where cancer is present. The problem with radiation therapy is that it damages both cancerous and non-cancerous cells. Most of the time, though, non-cancerous cells survive. One type, called intensity modulated radiation therapy and used by the Mayo Clinic, limits the amount of radiation while effectively treating the cancer. It protects the nearby organs such as the lungs, esophagus and spinal cord.

    Surgery & Radioactive Iodine

    • Surgery is the only treatment used for benign thyroid gland tumors. The surgery can be a total thyroidectomy or a partial thyroidectomy. This option gives the patient their best chance for survival. The patient is admitted to the hospital for 1 to 3 days. They are given general anesthesia for the procedure. Risks from the surgery may include infection, blood loss and temporary loss of voice. The patient should call the doctor is he experiences any bleeding, fever over 101 degrees or redness or warmness in the incision. The patient will be given thyroid hormone therapy replacement for life. Blood tests will be given to monitor the patient's blood levels to ensure adequate hormone levels. Following surgery, the patient is typically given a radioactive iodine treatment to ensure that all the thyroid tissue and cancer cells are gone. Radioactive iodine treatment works by destroying any remaining thyroid tissue that may be left over after surgery. By having radioactive iodine treatment, the chances for the cancer's return are limited. Radioactive iodine can also be used for cancers that have spread beyond the thyroid gland.

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