Thyroid

[Kerrie101]

I am 57 years old. Six months ago I had a 4cm lump removed from my right hand lobe. I have had a scan done on the left hand side and no cancer is shown there or in either side lymph nodes. I am due to have surgery next week to remove the right hand lobe as they say due to my age and the size of the lump there is a 20% chance there are cancer cells already in the left hand side which could be undetected by the scan. My questions are what is the likelihood of cancer returning later in my life if I leave the right lobe in and what are the statistics? Can it be easily monitored rather than have it cut out now? I have also been advised to have radioactive iodine drink. Is it likely that will have long term affects on my health aswell?

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

Need more info -- did you have the Right side removed?  If so what was the report - benign or cancer?  If cancer, then the total thyroid needs to be removed.  Sounds like it was cancer and if so, given the size of cancer (4cm) would do completion thyroidectomy then radioactive iodine would be the current standard of care.  Also a careful ultrasound before the next surgery to make sure there are no lymph nodes that also need removal.

[cody12]

Hi Kerrie,
I am trying to understand everything that you wrote since I will be having a biopsy on two nodes. Did you only have the lump removed and not the right lobe 6 months ago or did you have the entire right lobe removed and now you will have the left lobe removed? I was wondering what the pathology of the 4 cm node showed. Was it malignant or benign? Good luck to you.