What are the treatment options for thyroid cancer?

The choice depends on the thyroid cancer type, tumour size, lymph-node findings, spread and how the cancer behaves. Thyroid removal surgery may remove part or all of the gland and can include nearby lymph nodes when needed.

Radioactive iodine therapy is taken by mouth and is used for selected thyroid cancers because thyroid cells can absorb iodine. Targeted therapy uses medicines aimed at specific features of cancer cells and may be considered when disease is advanced or no longer responds to other approaches. Follow-up checks can include examinations, blood tests and imaging chosen for your situation.

Ask whether you will need thyroid hormone medicine after surgery and how it should be taken. Report tingling around the mouth, muscle cramps, voice changes or difficulty swallowing after an operation. Keep follow-up appointments even when you feel well, because monitoring looks for changes that symptoms may not reveal.

Seek urgent care for breathing difficulty, rapidly increasing neck swelling, inability to swallow, severe weakness or confusion. After radioactive iodine or targeted therapy, call your treatment team about severe vomiting, dehydration, unusual bleeding, chest pain or a high fever.

Which thyroid cancer type do I have? Will I need part or all of the thyroid removed? Could radioactive iodine help after surgery? Would targeted therapy be appropriate? How will hormone levels and scans be monitored, and what symptoms should prompt an earlier review?