THYROID CANCER TREATMENT
Categories: Uncategorized | November 14th, 2007 | by admin | no comments
Thyroid cancer treatment is has the same options of other forms of cancer. There are four main ways to treat the cancer, surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and hormone therapy.
One form of thyroid cancer treatment that is the first method of treatment, if the cancer is in early stages and if the cancer has not spread too far is surgery. Surgery is a method doctors will use to go inside the body and cut out the cancer if it looks like they can get all of the cancer. This operation is to cut out or repair the part of the body that is damaged by the cancer. This surgery is also known as a lobectomy. It is designed to remove a small section of the thyroid where the cancer is growing. If almost the entire thyroid has cancerous cells growing on it, a near-total thyroidectomy will be performed. This is when the surgery involved almost removing the entire organ. If the entire organ must be removed, then it is called a total thyroidectomy.
Radiation therapy is another form of thyroid cancer treatment that uses high-energy radiation from gamma rays, neutrons, and x-rays. These sources are used to attempt at shrinking tumors and killing cancerous cells. The radiation may be external using a beam or it may be internal radiation therapy using radioactive material next to the cancerous cells in the body.
Chemotherapy is a method of thyroid cancer treatment using pills and drugs to kill the cancer cells. These pills contain chemicals that are designed to kill and minimize cancer.
Hormone therapy is another form of thyroid cancer treatment. This method is when the doctor gives the body hormones to stop the cancer from growing. These hormones may block the cancer or stop it all together. Glands may have to be removed that make certain hormones for this method to be successful.
There are four main methods in thyroid cancer treatment. All treatments depend on the stage that the cancer is in and how far it has spread. There is never any guarantee that the cancer will not grow back or is totally gone. Working with an oncologist that specializes in thyroid cancer is important.
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