adiation. For example, you may be asked to temporarily avoid close contact with other people, especially children, and pregnant women.
External radiation therapy
Radiation therapy can also be delivered externally by a machine that directs high-energy beams, such as x-rays and protons, to precise points on the body (external beam radiation therapy). During treatment, you lie still on a table while a machine changes about you.
Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses chemicals to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy is usually given as an infusion through a vein. The chemicals travel throughout the body and destroy rapidly growing cells, including cancer cells.
Targeted drug therapy
Targeted drug treatments focus on specific abnormalities present in cancer cells. By delaying these abnormalities, targeted drug treatments can reason cancer cells to die.
Injecting alcohol into cancers
Alcohol ablation involves injecting alcohol into small thyroid cancers using imaging such as ultrasound to ensure accurate injection placement. This procedure causes thyroid cancers to shrink.
Supportive (palliative) care
Palliative care is specialized medical care that focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness. Palliative care specialists work with you, your family, and your other doctors to provide an additional layer of support to complement your ongoing care.
Despite treatment, thyroid cancer can return, even if your thyroid has been removed. This could happen if microscopic disease cells spread beyond the thyroid before being removed.
This disease can come back in:
- Lymph nodes in the neck
- Small pieces of thyroid tissue that remain during surgery
- Other areas of the body, such as the lungs and bones
Thyroid cancer that comes back can be treated. Your doctor may recommend regular blood tests or thyroid scans to check for signs of this disease recurrence.
Doctors aren’t sure what causes most thyroid cancer, so there is no way to prevent this disease in people who are at average risk for the disease.
Prevention for people at high risk
Adults and kids with an inherited genetic transformation that increases the risk of medullary thyroid cancer may consider thyroid surgery to prevent the disease (prophylactic thyroidectomy). Discuss your options with a genetic counsellor who can explain your risk for thyroid cancer and your treatment options.
Prevention for people close to nuclear power plants
Sometimes a drug that blocks the effects of radiation on the thyroid is given to people who live near nuclear power plants. The drug (potassium iodide) could be used in the unlikely event of a nuclear reactor accident. If you live within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant and are concerned about safety precautions, contact your local or state emergency management department for more information.
Departments to consult for this condition
- Department of oncology