Anyone knowledgeable on Thyroid cancer?

[YvonneCa]

1. I'll try. I had thyroid cancer in 1997...

...and am doing fine. No links, but try cancer.org. Supposedly, it's the best kind of cancer to get.. .



I don't know what type it is yet, the reading I've done on the internet has been all over the place -- on one site, in one sentence alone,

There are several types...I think papillary is the most common and most treatable.


they said that treatment can be anything from doing nothing at all to them or the thyroid to removing the entire thyroid, or one lobe (although I have many and they are all large >1.5 cm)

Sounds like you have already been biopsied, if you know it's cancerous AND probably had an ultrasound, if you know there are multiple nodules and their size. That is important for diagnosis and to determine the next steps of treatment. Like with most types of cancer, the next step is usually surgery followed by radiation. I had both...My whole thyroid was removed (saw nodules in both lobes during surgery) and then I had radioactive iodine(RAI) treatment. That involves an overnight stay in the hospital and drinking the solution. After that, I was done...and that was 15 years ago.

(regarding the 'nodules' -- what exactly ARE those? Lesions? Polyps? Plaques? Scar tissue? Other?)

Nodules are hard, tumor-like growths.


and then they mention both radiation and chemo but don't say that it must be done in conjunction with surgical removal.

If the nodule(s) are contained inside the lobes of the thyroid, that is a good sign. The surgery will probably remove it all. They usually then give the RAI treatment sort of as insurance. If any thyroid cancer cells remain, the iodine targets them and the radiation kills them.

The waiting is really scary. My imagination went wild...and that was before there were such internet resources. Try to stay busy, if you can. Usually thyroid cancer turns out okay. I know four people my age who have been through this, and we are all fine. You will be, too. I am happy to listen if you need to 'talk.'