micropallitary thyroid cancer

[reemali]

I had  incidental micro pallitary carcinoma , it has been shown in the pathology report after doing my partial throidectomy due to the presence of cold nodules.as i have multinodular goitre i asked the doctor to remove the total thyroid but he decied to leave the other side during the operation. i didnt take any iodine treatment even the doctor confirmed that no need to remove the other side of my thyroid i m very worried really need your advice as i m not feeling good i have night swealling dont know if it 's related with this matter please help me

[Kaneda2112]

You need to try to stay calm at this point as you really are jumping to conclusions. A further evaluation needs to be done before you can assume it's malignant - Thyroid nodules increase with age and are present in almost 10% of the adult population. Autopsy studies reveal the presence of thyroid nodules in 50% of the population, so they are fairly common. 95% of solitary thyroid nodules are benign, and therefore, only 5% of thyroid nodules are malignant.

Common types of the benign thyroid nodules are adenomas (overgrowths of normal thyroid tissue), thyroid cysts, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis.

So wait until you see if your doc recommends a biopsy to have a more thorough understanding to see if anything serious is going on.

I know it's extremely difficult, but you have to calmly wait and see if this is actually a problem. Very difficult I know, but you have to try.

[reemali]

many thanks for your email i really need your assistance i did my surgery since 27/08/2011 , yes i sent to my doctor as i m living in UAE and he is in egypt he said no worries .now i am in big problem i made the ultasound today for my thyroid but the result  mentioned that SMALL LEFT THYROID LOBE SHOWING TWO TINY 2MM EACH LOOK TO BE CYSTIC AT THE UPPER AND LOWER POLES , i will lost my mind ,can not see from crying is that mean that i have to remove the other part as it may be a microcarcinoma also ? it can be returned in this short period ?i will travel within 2 days to see my doctor but  i need your advice and help  what will i do ???

[Kaneda2112]

The typical treatment for Micropapillary carcinoma is what you seem to have gotten. Your doc doesn't seem to think that you have a) a higher risk for its return or b) it was very small which is why I assume he didn't suggest iodine ablation therapy.

From Science Daily -

"The standard treatment for papillary thyroid cancer is surgery to remove the thyroid gland (thyroidectomy). If the cancer is large, or has spread to lymph nodes, or if the patient is at a higher risk for cancer to come back, then radioactive iodine ablation therapy is often used to destroy any remaining thyroid cancer cells after surgery. Very frequently, radioactive iodine treatment is not given for small cancers, unless there are some clinical indications or suspicions for more aggressive disease, despite its small size."

I imagine the ordeal you have suffered has been very stressful and possible made you anxious as well - you probably wouldn't be human if you hadn't felt that in some way!  Have you mentioned your night sweats to your doctor and your generally feeling unwell? How long ago was your surgery?