Thyroid Disorders and Surgery

Surgery is most frequently needed for thyroid cancer diseases. Papillary, Follicular, Medullary, and Anaplastic are the four different subtypes of thyroid cancer. With more than 95% of thyroid cancer cases falling under the first two categories, papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, they are the most prevalent. Fortunately, these cancers can usually be cured if detected early and surgically treated.

The “total thyroidectomy” procedure, which is frequently required to cure papillary or follicular thyroid cancer, entails the removal of the complete thyroid gland. Sometimes a further dissection of the neck lymph nodes is necessary. Usually, the size of the cancer determines whether a neck lymph node dissection is necessary. If the cancer has grown widely throughout the thyroid and/or neck, extra post-surgical radioactive iodine treatment is frequently required.

A few weeks after surgery, radioactive iodine therapy is typically administered. An endocrinologist orders and oversees this treatment. When treated immediately and effectively, the majority of thyroid cancers (papillary and follicular) have a cure rate of over 90% when discovered early (surgery and possible post-operative radioactive iodine therapy).