Thyroid Cancer treatment involves Thyroidectomy or Hemithyroidectomy followed by Radioiodine Therapy. The cost of Thyroidectomy or Hemithyroidectomy ranges from USD 3300 to USD 5500 in India.
Depending on a number of cycles required, Radioiodine Therapy cost in India ranges between USD 1000 to USD 2500.
Patient has to stay 3 days in the hospital and 7 days outside the hospital.
Depending on stage of cancer and age of a patient, the success rate is 98%.
Tests required to identify Thyroid Cancer include MRI scan, PET scan, Ultrasound, Biopsy, CT scan and Blood Tests.
Papillary thyroid cancer: The most common form of thyroid cancer, papillary thyroid cancer, mostly affects people of 30 to 50 ages.
Follicular thyroid cancer: Follicular thyroid cancer arises from the follicular cells of the thyroid. It usually affects people older than age 50.
Medullary thyroid cancer: Medullary thyroid cancer begins in thyroid cells which produce the hormone calcitonin. Elevated levels of calcitonin in the blood can indicate medullary thyroid cancer. Certain genetic syndromes increase the risk of medullary thyroid cancer.
Anaplastic thyroid cancer: Anaplastic thyroid cancer is a rare and rapidly growing cancer that is very difficult to treat.
Thyroid lymphoma: Thyroid lymphoma is a rare form of thyroid cancer that begins in the immune system cells in the thyroid.
Signs and symptoms might suggest you have thyroid cancer, but you will need tests to confirm the diagnosis.
Biopsy: A small piece of tissue is extracted from the thyroid gland by the procedure of fine needle aspiration. The sample is analyzed in the laboratory to look for cancer cells.
Radioiodine scan: It is often used in people who have already been diagnosed with thyroid cancer to help show if it has spread.
Blood Tests: Blood tests like TSH and Thyroglobulin are not used to find thyroid cancer. But they can help show if your thyroid is working normally, also used to monitor certain cancers.
Surgery: To remove the part of the thyroid gland that contains cancer.
Removing one part (lobe) is called a lobectomy.
Removing all but a very small part of the thyroid is called a near-total thyroidectomy. Lymph nodes may also be removed during surgery.
Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy: In thyroid hormone therapy, doctors prescribe drugs that reduce the production of thyroid stimulating hormones, which may help prevent the growth of any remaining cancer cells.
External beam radiation therapy: Radiation therapy can also be given externally using a machine that aims high-energy beams, at precise points on your body.
Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses chemicals to kill cancer cells.
Targeted therapy: These drugs target the signals that tell cancer cells to grow and divide. It is used in people with advanced thyroid cancer.
Follow-up visits with consultant every 6 to 12 month, at your follow-up visits, a blood test performed to measure thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level, other tests, such as a radioiodine scan, X-rays, or a CT scan.
The most important side effect of radioactive iodine therapy (RAI) is that you will become radioactive for a period of time, it is important to prevent exposing others to radiation.
Q: What is thyroid and where is it located?
A: Thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the neck. Thyroid produces hormones that regulate heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and weight.
Q: What is the goal of treatment for thyroid cancer?
A: The goal of treatment is to cure cancer if cancer can’t be cured, the goal of treatment is to destroy as much as cancer cells as possible and to prevent it from spreading and relieving symptoms i.e., palliating symptoms.
Q: What is the role of alternative methods of treatment in thyroid cancer?
A: Alternative methods of treatment might be helpful in relieving symptoms but many have not been proved yet and might be dangerous.
Q: Can thyroid cancer be diagnosed in initial stages?
A: Many cases of thyroid cancer can be found early and have a good prognosis, early thyroid cancer is found when patients see their doctors because of neck lumps or nodules they notice.
Q: What team of doctors treating thyroid cancer compromise?
Q: What do you understand by 5-year survival rate?
A: The 5-year survival rate is the percentage of people who live at least 5 years after being diagnosed with cancer, survival rates can vary based on a number of factors.
Q: What is staging of cancer?
A: After being diagnosed with cancer, the process to check if cancer has spread and if so then how far is called staging.
Q: Is Stage 4 thyroid cancer curable?
A: Stage IV thyroid cancer—also called metastatic disease—has spread beyond the thyroid to the soft tissues of the neck, lymph nodes in the neck, or distant locations in the body. The lungs and bone are the most frequent sites of distant spread. The prognosis for patients with distant metastases is poor.
Q: What are the advantages of cancer staging?
A: It helps determine how serious the cancer is and how best to treat it. Doctors also use cancer's stage when talking about statistics.
Q: What is the prognosis of thyroid cancer?
A: Prognosis depends on staging and general health of a patient. An early detection and treatment provide good prognosis along with those who are below 40 or have small tumors.
Most thyroid cancers can be cured, especially if they have not spread to distant parts of the body, both papillary and follicular cancers have a more than 98% cure rate if treated appropriately.
Q: Is follow up necessary after completion of cancer treatment?
A: Yes, it is important to have follow-ups with a consultant for regular tests and scans to lookout for signs of recurrence of cancer.
Q: Can thyroid cancer be prevented?
A: Most thyroid cancer cannot be prevented, except medullary thyroid cancer (MTC). A genetic test can tell you if you have a greater chance of getting MTC. If this test is positive, you can remove thyroid gland to reduce the risk for thyroid cancer later in life.
Q: What lifestyle changes help in recovery after cancer?