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RE: Treatment for thyroid cancer
Hi,
My wife was diagnosed with follicular thyroid cancer 6 years ago. She had all her thyroid nodule removed and had two radioiodine treatments within a year after surgery.
The treatments was succesful and she was kept on thyroxine pill. Since last summer her blood count started to increase and she undertook a gamma scan in September 2010. This scan showed no traces of cancer. After this she went to take her blood tests again and the thyroxine blood count was again higher than the last time. Here the doctor ordered a PET scan and found that she had lesions in her chest and lung but concluded that this was due to cancerous thyroid cells returning.
The professor ordered a radioiodine treatment. She undertook the treatment and, unfortunately, the treatment was not succesful and the conclusion was that there was no uptake withing the tyroid region nor any uptake in the chest. The professor said that it is possible that the tyroid cells did not uptake the iodine. To make sure that these are infact thyroid cells, my wife will be undergoing a lung biopsy (due to the fact that she used to smoke).
If the lung biopsy results that the cancer has developed in the lung, my wife will be treated with chemotherapy.
My question is, if the biopsy results that the cancer is infact developing from thyroid cells, is there any other treatment which she can take as the professor said that chemotherapy cannot be taken if this is the case.
My professor suggsted the drug SUTENT (Sunitinib) which is usually used for kidney cancer, but I have been told that it can also be used for thyroid cancer.
What do you think please, and is there any other treatment possible for thyroid cancer?
Thank you and regards.
My wife was diagnosed with follicular thyroid cancer 6 years ago. She had all her thyroid nodule removed and had two radioiodine treatments within a year after surgery.
The treatments was succesful and she was kept on thyroxine pill. Since last summer her blood count started to increase and she undertook a gamma scan in September 2010. This scan showed no traces of cancer. After this she went to take her blood tests again and the thyroxine blood count was again higher than the last time. Here the doctor ordered a PET scan and found that she had lesions in her chest and lung but concluded that this was due to cancerous thyroid cells returning.
The professor ordered a radioiodine treatment. She undertook the treatment and, unfortunately, the treatment was not succesful and the conclusion was that there was no uptake withing the tyroid region nor any uptake in the chest. The professor said that it is possible that the tyroid cells did not uptake the iodine. To make sure that these are infact thyroid cells, my wife will be undergoing a lung biopsy (due to the fact that she used to smoke).
If the lung biopsy results that the cancer has developed in the lung, my wife will be treated with chemotherapy.
My question is, if the biopsy results that the cancer is infact developing from thyroid cells, is there any other treatment which she can take as the professor said that chemotherapy cannot be taken if this is the case.
My professor suggsted the drug SUTENT (Sunitinib) which is usually used for kidney cancer, but I have been told that it can also be used for thyroid cancer.
What do you think please, and is there any other treatment possible for thyroid cancer?
Thank you and regards.
Sorry if I didnt explain well.
The professor is saying that there is a 99.9% chance that the lesions found in lung and chest are from thyroid metastasis..but she does not have any thyroid nodule as she had it removed due to follicular thyroid cancer 6 years ago.
Now she has had radioactive iodine treatment in order for the iodine to absorb the lesions in her lung and chest. This did not work though and the professor said that in 20% of cases, the body becomes so used to the radioactive iodine that it does not work (since she already had it two time before)..now do you now of any other options to treat thyroid cancer excluding the radioiodine pill?
The professor is saying that there is a 99.9% chance that the lesions found in lung and chest are from thyroid metastasis..but she does not have any thyroid nodule as she had it removed due to follicular thyroid cancer 6 years ago.
Now she has had radioactive iodine treatment in order for the iodine to absorb the lesions in her lung and chest. This did not work though and the professor said that in 20% of cases, the body becomes so used to the radioactive iodine that it does not work (since she already had it two time before)..now do you now of any other options to treat thyroid cancer excluding the radioiodine pill?
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