Thyroid Cancer

Question: What is the best hospital to treat Thyroid cancer in india? My sister recently diagnosed with thyroid cancer and we are looking for a good doctor and hospital as well. Please advise. Thanks

Answer: start looking in new delhi.all the embassies are there so probably the hospitals as well.

Question: Why would you face go numb after the radioactive treatment for thyroid cancer? My girlfriend just did the radioactive iodine treatment for her thyroid cancer and now about 5 days later her left side of her face has gone numb. She called her doctor and mad an appointment but that isnt for 2 days. What is going on and what can she do to make her face not be numb until she goes to the doctors because she is really freaking out.

Answer: I don't know if its the treatment or coincidence, but there's a nerve that runs through the opening in your jaw. If that swells for whatever reason, your face on that side will go numb. It's called Bell's Palsy. I had it years ago from a drafty window when I lived up north. I was on prednisone, which took the swelling away.

Question: Can you get thyroid cancer from having hypothyroidism? Yeah, the question pretty much sums it up. I have hypothyroidism and saw a piece on the news about how Roger Ebert had thyroid cancer and it freaked me out, so I thought I'd ask. Thanks!

Answer: It depends. But i'm sure you cant.

Question: What are the chances I have thyroid cancer? I know there is a 5% chance of cancer if only a nodule is found. BUT I have been having unknown health problems for 4 years. They found my thyroid level to be pretty low. The nodule was mostly solid and the ultrasound couldnt rule cancer out. I didnt see anything about hot or cold. The specialist said he cant see me for 2 months. Ofcourse I am not going to wait that long. Does it seem like my chances are higher than 5%?

Answer: I guess it is hard to tell, unless I know more about you, but I will try my best to give you some risk factors so you can have a general idea. Risk factor for thyroid cancer can generally divided intrinsic and extrinsic. Intrinsic risk factors are woman, elderly, and family history of thyroid cancer like MEN syndrome, FAP, etc. Extrinsic risk factors are diet low in iodide, prior radiation But the only way to be sure is to do a Fine needle aspiration. (For some time, like follicular cancer, an excisional biopsy is needed) Hope that helps. Good luck

Question: After having thyroid cancer, should my chest feel tight at times and breathing be heavy? I had my thyroid removed along with 2 of my para thyroids due to cancer. Afterwards, I have experienced heavy fatigue, my chest being tight, my breathing being labored, my muscles in my arms just worn out and this is while I am on 150 mg synthroid.

Answer: Have you had your TSH, free T3, free T4 and PTH (parathyroid) checked? A lot of your symptoms could be from you Synthroid. Are you taking calcium becuase you're missing 2 parathyroids? I am assuming your doctor is suppressing your TSH, however, it might be too suppressed. You might want to get your labs drawn, you might needs your Synthroid adjusted. I highly suggest you let your doctor know about these symptoms you are experiencing, especially the chest and breathing issues.

Question: Does calcification in thyroid nodules mean you have cancer? Ok so I had a thyroid biopsy done because there were multiple nodules found in my thyroid. I was told they are about 2 cm, (the 2 largest ones) The tech and the doctor that was performing the biopsy they said that I had calcification in the nodules, from what I saw the calcification was a little less than half the size of the actual nodule. Now does this indicate thyroid cancer?

Answer: Actually, calcified nodules of the thyroid account for only about 5% or so of thyroid cancers in general. What needs to be done at this point is have the pathologist take a look at them to be sure. A thyroid uptake scan is usually done BEFORE any biopsy would be done -- typically looking for what are termed "cold nodules." These are suspicious for cancer. Best of luck to you!

Question: what are the alternative medicine for thyroid cancer? I have a papillary carcinoma,or a type of thyroid cancer does anyone know any diet or alternative medicine for this?

Answer: Chemo is not usually an option for thyroid cancer. Radioactive I131 is administered a few months after your thyroid is removed. The thyroid gland takes up iodine and so do the cancer cells. So by having treatment with I131 you will be killing the remaining cells, The benefits of treatment outweigh the side effects as there are few with I131. As for diet, the is no alternative for thyroid cancer but there is a diet you need to go on before scans and treatments called the Low Iodine Diet. Here is a site that can help you listed below

Question: Is there any way to reduce side effects of external Radiation for Thyroid cancer? My mother has Anaplastic Thyroid cancer. She has already started treatement for external radiation (one week is over and still 5 more weeks to go) Is there any way to reduce side effects of external Radiation for

Answer: Not really. You just have to treat the side effects as they come up. Her doctor should be examining her about once a week during treatment. He should be able to give her something for whatever bothers her during treatment. I had a huge radiation sore throat and also got shingles. But they were right on it with some treatment. Best wishes

Question: I have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, should I be more worried about the lump on my breast? One week ago I had a total thyroidectomy, instead of a partial one because the the biospy showed to be malignant. About six months ago I went and had an ultrasound on a lump on my breast. I was told to just watch it and report any changes and to have a yearly mamogram. Should I be more worried now that I have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer?

Answer: Are you concerned that the thyroid cancer is now in your breast or that it's another cancer? I have never heard of thyroid cancer metastasizing to ones breast, but anything is possible. If you are feeling a change in the lump, go to your doctor. They might suggest an ultrasound to compare your previous one.

Question: Can you get thyroid cancer from tanning every two weeks? or at least almost get thyroid cancer? My mom used to go tanning every two weeks and now she *might* have thyroid cancer. please! if anyone has an idea on it tell me!

Answer: going every two weeks probably didnt cause the cancer but you never know, cuz tanning in general can potentially cause all sorts of cancer, but most likely there was an underlying condition that just flared up because of the tanning or could be a matter of genetics. It's really hard to tell. There are people who go tanning ever day and dont develop cancer. Its really dependent upon ones own immune response

Question: Question about the aftermath of thyroid cancer? I had my thyroid removed completely in Jan 2007 because of papillary thyroid cancer. I now have to be on Levothroid for the rest of my life. 250mg a day. My problem is that I forget to take it all the time. I don't know why, but I just do. I've tried alarms, notes, ect. Any ideas on what I could do to help me remember? And does anyone know the long-term effects of forgetting to take this drug?

Answer: Forgetting the drug lets you get more dull and forgetful and put on weight. I had to start because of progressive thyroid deterioration and I will tell you that after the first dose it was like the sun came out for me. I take mine first thing in the morning from a little seven day set of boxes. You should take it with water but not food. [Then I leave the top of that day's box open to remind me of other stuff with breakfast.] I wait 40 minutes before starting to prepare breakfast. It's part of my morning routine now.

Question: How do I organize a walk to support thyroid cancer? i am a survivor of thyroid cancer i want to want to organize a walk for thyroid cancer like they do for breast cancer or i have done ones for MS (multiple sclerosis) to raise money towards finding the cure

Answer: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association, Inc. http://www.thyca.org/ thyca@thyca.org Check out their website, and I would also contact them directly and tell them about what you are looking to do. They should be able to get you all of the information you need, Good Luck to you.

Question: If I get my thyroid blood checked, can they check for cancer? I'm seriously considering getting my thyroid checked.. blood tested. If it comes back bad, could they rule out a diagnosis for Thyroid cancer from there?

Answer: No - I had thyroid cancer for about 5 years and several times my thyroid levels came back normal. Often if the thyroid has cancer the levels are off, but only in about 60% of cases. They do a test to check for cancer markers after you have a thyroid out because of cancer. It's called a thyroglobulin level. You can ask if it can be checked in your case, I don't know if it is helpful before a thyroidectomy.

Question: My 11 years old yellow lab has cancer, they think it is cancer of thyroid. SHould I remoe it and do chemo? They think it is thyroid Cancer which is attached to blood vessesls. She has other fatty tumors on her. She has one huge one right under her left shoulder which has effected her gate. She probably has one cancerous tumor on the back of her neck. Can someone tell me what I should do? I don't know if I should do surgery and chemo afterward. Or keep her comfortable.

Answer: I'm not sure of the normal lifespan for a Lab but 11 sounds pretty much up there! It sounds like the cancer is widespread in which case the trauma of surgery and chemo (which I think would be too much for her) might well be for nothing. Just give her all the love and care she needs and don't make the mistake we did by hesitating to have her put to sleep at the right time - our cat developed a tumour after a routine vaccination and was in extreme pain on his last day as we let him go too long. Hugs to your Lab xo

Question: What is the value of TSH if the patient has thyroid cancer.? What would be the value of TSH for thyroid cancer. Can thyroid cancer be detected by blood test and TSH value. Can a higher value of TSH (10) be a concern for cancer?

Answer: Currently, the recommended reference range for TSH is from approximately 0.3 to 3.0. recommendations by the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. What is a Reference Range? Reference range is a critical component, and the validity of the entire TSH test as diagnostic tool depends on it. A TSH reference range is obtained by taking a large group of people in the population, measuring their TSH levels, and calculating a mean value. Supposedly, these people should be free of thyroid disease, so that the level represents the mean TSH of a typical thyroid disease-free person in the population. The reference range is what determines whether or not thyroid disease is even diagnosed at all, much less treated, and when it is diagnosed, how it is treated. Currently, at most laboratories in the U.S., the reference range for TSH tests is approximately 0.5 to 5.0. Depending on the lab, you may seem some variations, i.e., 0.4 to 5.5, or 0.6 to 5.7, etc., but generally, 0.5 to 5.0 is considered typical of many labs. Typically, doctors interpret levels below 0.5 as indicative of hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid), and levels above 5.0 as indicative of hypothyroidism (an underactive thyroid.) TSH 10 level is certainly not adviseable and the danger of thyroid cancer can not be ruled out. -

Question: A woman with thyroid cancer undergoes surgery and directed radiotherapy. The radiotherapy causes some somatic? cell mutation. The woman later gives birth to a baby girl who has a genetic disorder. Which of the following would be the most likely explaniation for the occurance of the genetic disorder? A. The thyroid cancer caused the birth defect. B. The radiotherapy caused the birth defect. C. The surgery caused the birth defect. D. The birth defect probably isnt related to either cancer or radiotherapy.

Answer: D.