Treatment of thyroid cancer

Treatment for thyroid cancer is given by endocrinologists, surgeons and cancer specialists (oncologists). Some thyroid cancer specialists will have expertise in radiation therapy and others in chemotherapy (drugs). These doctors work with the person with cancer to decide on a treatment plan.

Treatment plans are designed to meet the unique needs of each person with cancer. Treatment decisions for thyroid cancer are based on the:

• type of thyroid cancer
• stage
• grade (well differentiated or poorly differentiated)
• age of the person and their general health

Treatment options for thyroid cancer

• surgery
  • almost always used to treat thyroid cancer
  • done to remove part or all of the thyroid gland and usually some lymph nodes around the thyroid gland
• radioactive iodine (RAI, I-131) therapy
  • commonly used after surgery for tumours of a specific size, to treat papillary or follicular thyroid cancer
  • a form of radiation therapy that delivers radiation directly to the thyroid cancer cells
  • not used to treat medullary or anaplastic thyroid cancers since these cancers do not take up iodine
• hormonal therapy
  • used to suppress the secretion of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) to prevent the cancer from returning
  • also used to replace thyroid hormone and manage the symptoms of hypothyroidism caused by removal of the thyroid gland
• external beam radiation therapy
  • may be given after surgery if I-131 is not an option
  • may be given after surgery and I-131 to destroy any cancer cells that did not absorb the radioactive iodine
  • could be used to treat anaplastic thyroid tumours or other tumours that can't be surgically removed
  • can be used to relieve symptoms of metastatic disease and improve quality of life
• chemotherapy
  • not commonly used to treat papillary or follicular thyroid cancer except in occasional cases when the cancer has spread and is not responding to I-131 – most patients with well differentiated thyroid cancer will not require chemotherapy
  • more commonly used to treat anaplastic thyroid cancer that often has spread at the time of diagnosis and cannot be controlled with radiation therapy
• follow-up after treatment is finished
  • It is important to have regular follow-up visits, especially in the first few years after treatment.

Clinical trials

Clinical trials investigate better ways to prevent, detect and treat cancer. There are many clinical trials in Canada that are open to people with thyroid cancer. For more information, go to clinical trials.

See a list of questions to ask your doctor about treatment.