Common treatments for thyroid cancer

Even though thyroid cancer is a disease that cannotFuthermore, in the cases of severe thyroid cancer,
be prevented, it is a curable affection and can bepatients may need another treatment after they
treated by using an appropriate treatment. Inpassed through a surgery. One of the most common
addition, treatments of thyroid cancer usually includeprocedure is the supplemental thyroid hormone,
surgeries, radioactive iodine and radiation therapy andhormones which replace the ones produced by the
depend on the stage and the type of cancers.thyroid. Patients who already suffered a surgery tend
To begin with, a common method used in patientsto become hypothyroid and in this way they need
with papillary, follicular or medullary is radiationextra thyroid hormones in order to keep the
therapy, a procedure which is used if the patient hasremaining thyroid gland inactive through a feedback
a risk of recurrence following surgery alone, such assystem.
the type of cancer known as Tall Cell Variant.Much more, another procedure used in the thyroid
Moreover this procedure is used when the tyroidcancer treatments is the use of radiation iodine (RAI).
cancer is adherent to the trachea, has mediastinalThis procedure is usually used for patients who
lymp node involvment or doesn't take up RAI. It issuffer from tumors with high risk features such as
important to note that radiation therapy has broughtsizes of 1.5cm, tumors which have spread to other
significant results especially for the severe types oftissues and lymph nodes and also thyroid cancer that
thyroid cancer and also for the patients who stillhas come back. What is more, a usual treatment
present residual cancer after the surgery.used in many types of cancers and sometimes in
Secondly, even though radiation therapy is consideredtyroid cancer is chemotherapy. In addition certain
a efficient method, surgery is still the most commonchemotherapy drugs such as adriamycin, etoposide or
procedure in the treatments for tyroid cancers.cisplatin are usually used in patients who suffer from
Unlike the partial surgeries, such as the removal of aanaplastic thyroid cancer or affections which occured
single lobe of the thyroid gland (lobectomy), andue to the prolonged exposure to RAI or radiation
extensive surgery which includes the whole removaltherapy.
of the thyroid gland thyroidectomy (only smallAll in all, treatments for thyroid cancer vary from a
remnant of throid tissue with parathyroid glandsperson to other and even though this type of cancer
remain attached to the thyroid). It is important tois curable, specialiasts still try to find new procedure
mention that in many cases when the thyroid gland isfor certain patients that don't respond to
not completely removed, the tumor may appearconventional therapy or patients with poor prognosis
again.analastic disease.