Treatment
Thyroidectomy and dissection of central neck compartment is initial step in treatment of thyroid cancer in majority of cases. Thyroid-preserving operation may be applied in cases, when thyroid cancer exhibits low biological aggressiveness (e.g. well-differentiated cancer, no evidence of lymph node metastases, low MIB-1 index, no major genetic alterations like BRAF mutations, RET/PTC rearrangements, p53 mutations etc.) in patients younger then 45 years. If the diagnosis of well-differentiated thyroid cancer (e.g. papillary thyroid cancer) is established or suspected by FNA the surgery is indicated, whereas watchful waiting strategy is not recommended in any evidence-based guidelines Watchful waiting reduces overdiagnosis and overtreatment of thyroid cancer among old patients. Radioactive Iodine-131 is used in patients with papillary or follicular thyroid cancer for ablation of residual thyroid tissue after surgery and for the treatment of thyroid cancer. Patients with medullary, anaplastic, and most Hurthle cell cancers do not benefit from this therapy.
External irradiation may be used when the cancer is unresectable, when it recurs after resection, or to relieve pain from bone metastasis.
Sorafenib and sunitinib, approved for other indications show promise for thyroid cancer and are being used for some patients who do not qualify for clinical trials. Numerous agents are in phase II clinical trials and XL184 has started a phase III trial.
Read more about this topic: Thyroid Cancer
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