Thyroid Cancer Stages

Question: Any new treatments for Thyroid Cancer? My sister has Stage IV metastatic thyroid cancer (no thanks to her doctor who told her to ignore the lump in her throat for two years). She has had a total thyroidectomy and the radioiodine treatment is not effective as the tumors are no longer taking in iodine. To date only her lungs and colon are involved and her new doctors seem to be very good. I am wondering if anyone is aware of any new treatments or trials available?

Answer: I am so sorry it has spread so far - mine only spread to the lymph nodes in my chest and neck and I can't get rid of mine either. (My doctor told me not to worry about the lump too - idiots.) I am no longer uptaking radioactive iodine either and I am due for another surgery next month. We are going to do regular beam radiation this time - it is the next choice when the iodine doesn't work. It might be hard to do in the colon areas. I would highly suggest you go to a cancer hospital that deals with thyroid cancer regularly - most oncologist refer you back to your endochrinologist, but most of them have not seen cases like mine and hers. Sloan Kettering in New York City is known as the best - Mayo clinic is good too. There are many cancer treatment centers in America and there are a few that specialize in these types of difficult cancers. Good luck - I'm sorry she has to go through all this, I know how painful and scarry it is. http://www.mskcc.org/mskcc/html/447.cfm The only new trials I've heard about are for anaplastic thyroid cancer, not medulary - but you should check out thyca.org - they have new and up to date info.

Question: If someone has stage IV thyroid cancer, does it mean that it is just a matter of time? I know stage IV means it has spread - but I don't know if it is the death sentence

Answer: No. The general public hears stage IV cancer and they automatically think that it means a death sentence. This isn't true. Doctors stage cancer so that they know which treatment protocol to use that will be the most effective. If you have a stage 1 cancer you might only need surgery to remove the tumor and follow up after that. However, a stage IV cancer is extremely complicated because it has spread from the original or primary site and traveled throughout the body. Metastatic cancer is difficult to treat, but not impossible. There are many different modalities that an oncologist will use to treat a stage IV cancer. They will offer systemic chemotherapy and if there is a good response they might offer surgery to remove all visible signs of cancer. They may offer radiation, hyperthermic chemoperfusion, radiotherapy, gamma knife, proton beam therapy, radiofrequency ablation, or new drugs from clinical trials. There are survivors from all types of cancer and at all stages of cancer including thyroid cancer. You can look over the professional standardized guidelines for thyroid carcinoma to see what is offered for stage IV treatments. NCCN: Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology Thyroid Carcinoma http://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/PDF/thyroid.pdf And, support groups: ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors Association http://www.thyca.org/ ACOR: The Thyroid Cancer Online Support Group http://listserv.acor.org/archives/thyroid-onc.html

Question: Recurrances after total thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer? I was told that there's a risk (not a huge one, but it's there nonetheless) of a recurrance. I had papillary carcinoma cancer in my thyroid that was caught very early. On April 2nd, I had my thyroid and one attached lymph node removed. I opted to not receive radiation, as the risks involved with radiation are higher than the risks of recurrance of the cancer, since it was so contained. I had a multi-nodular thyroid. The largest tumor was 1.1cm, and there were a few tiny other tumors that were also in early stages of cancer. The lymph node was fine. So I'm just curious if anyone here has experience with this. Any suggestions, answers, etc. would be appreciated. Thanks!

Answer: Your doctors should have gone over all of this with you so that you could make an informed decision. If you are questioning that now you should get a second opinion. Radiation is usually used in more advanced cases and I’m not sure why that would be a recommendation. There are several factors that help determine the chance of recurrence and you only mention a few, so there is no way to comment or compare to anyone else. The good news is the mortality rate for papillary carcinomas of the thyroid are pretty good with 3-12% of patients who die from this disease. The rough 10-year survival rates (not taking other factors into consideration) is 95% for patients under 40 years-old and 75% for patients over 40 years-old.

Question: Does anyone know what it's like to die of stage 4 papillary carcinoma thyroid cancer? (matastisized to lungs)?

Answer: Most ppl who die of cancer do a lot of suffering, mental and physical. Aggressive, knowledgeable pain control can be very effective. Toward the end tho, most have come to terms with their situation, and don't fear death. In fact, many long for the relief it offers. They usually slip into a coma and die soon afterwords, very peacefully by outward appearance. The support of family and friends is very important to ease the person's anxiety.

Question: THYROID CANCER; Please Read? Can a 19 year old have stage 3, or 4 thyroid cancer? Just wondering because I found this online: Note: All the stage III and IV patients with follicular or papillary thyroid cancer are, by definition, over 45 years old.

Answer: Technically, yes you can have stage III or IV thyroid cancer at 19, but it would be only for Medullary or Anaplastic. You can have Stage 0-IV Medullary thyroid cancer at any age, but it's a rarer cancer since it's mainly hereditary. Anaplastic is always Stage IV, but there are sub-stages IVA, IVB, IVC. No one under 45 can have Stage III or IV Papillary or Follicular thyroid cancer.

Question: my mother was diagnosed of breast cancer last november...? my mother was diagnosed of breast cancer, stage 2, grade II a last november. after her chemotherapy sessions got over this may, she has constant problems of raised BP or cholestrol etc. this time, yesterday night i.e. July 28 showed her TSH level being 94 something which usually remains in the range of 0.03 to 0.05%. what does this signify? is there any problem in her thyroid gland?

Answer: TSH is thyroid stimulating hormone that comes from the pituitary. So something is going haywire in the pituitary in her brain that is stimulating the thyroid and maybe causing overactive thryoid too (ie bulging eyes, rapid heartbeat, overheated feeling , etc). Overactive thyroid could cause the raised BP too. It could be a metastasis of the cancer in her brain in the pituitary, or it could be something totally unrelated. The raised cholesterol could be from diet (too much meat and dairy) or hereditary (too much made in the liver). Try not to worry too much until all the tests are in and the doctor tells her what is going on and what to do. I know that is hard to do. Just pray. God's arms are not too short that he cannot reach her and help her.

Question: I have had chemo and radiation two years ago and still am so tired. Any remedies? I have had uterine cancer stage 3a plus an acoustic neuroma on my brain which I underwent gamma knife surgery for, plus thyroid surgery and Its been two years and I am soo tired.Any help?

Answer: I've never had cancer or cancer treatment, but I do have trouble with fatigue because I can't get any vitamin B 12 from my food. If I were you, I'd schedule a full physical..be sure to tell them that you want full blood work done, screening for anemia or vitamin deficiencies or anything else the doctor might think would be an issue for YOU. It probably wouldn't hurt you to start taking vitamins without talking to medical personnel first, but in your case, I wouldn't want to rule out any other medical issues you haven't thought of.

Question: can you have a cancerous tumor but not ahve cancer? what if they find a "bad" tumor (not benig) in somebody's thyroid. Does it mean that person has cancer or it depends on the stage and size???

Answer: If you have a cancerous tumor then you have cancer. If a person has a "not benign" tumor then it is malignant, which is cancer, so again - the person has cancer.

Question: Jealous friends seem relentless to make me feel bad? Hi I'm George, and I've been told I'm a pretty nice and caring person. Long story short, I graduated from High school this past year and I made some pretty wise decisions. I chose a good friend over my two very bitter and spiteful friends. They... I guess felt betrayed, but I knew my actions were wise and smart. They made me feel bad and in all honesty they were terrible people who did and said terrible things. I'm so glad I chose my friend Danielle and it wasn't fair that I had to pick, but I did. Well I was planning on going to college, but I caught Stage III Papillary Thyroid Cancer. I had to go through 2 surgeries, and radioactive treatment which I'm still battling. A while ago they called me "I didn't know who it was at the time", and they were teasing me about being a homosexual, and laughing that I love to Have sex with guys and ridiculing me and Hoping my cancer gets the best of me "I then knew who it was". I just don't know what to do, I feel so hurt, and a bit outrage. I want to let them know what they did was very rude and bad for my moral cause fighting something like cancer isn't easy. They weren't all bad "I'm trying to be fair", but this says a lot about there character and I just can't help but feel as if I hurt them in some way to make them say such negative things. I'm trying not to cry, but right now I feel like a wounded deer, nothing I can say can make things any better, I can make them feel just as hurt but that won't get me anywhere. I didn't say much on the phone except that I wasn't attending school due to my battle with cancer, then I hung up on them due to all there homophobic taunting "I'm still a virgin, and intelligent when it comes to who I date". Sorry for the long message, but what can I really do about 2 jealous, bitter and spiteful friends?

Answer: Its ok, don't be sorry you have a problem here! ok, know that your a good person deep down because you feel very hurt and probably shocked that other humans do that to fellow humans. Its so sad, I understand how you feel. I also can imagine how you must feel. Remember, they deff have so many issues with themselves and the world otherwise they wouldn't pick on other people. That's true for anybody. Their actions are just pathetic. They are the problem obviously. That's also very mature saying that hurting them back won't get you any where, it won't, your very right. So, treat them how you'd like to be treated by them. This might make them feel bad, if they're human at all in this point in their lives. If you expect respect, give respect. They'll work that out the hard way. You don't have to, your mature enough. Talk to them. Tell them how thier actions make you feel and ask them to please stop and to treat you with the respect that you deserve as a human being. Tell them that if they were happy with themselves and the world, they wouldn' have to waste their energy picking on other people. Then calmly walk away, showing them that you don't really care what they think. Well, you do but it doesn't get you down at all. They haven't got to you with their stupid coments back to you or something(if they say anything dis-respectful, just ignore). I'm very sorry this has happened to you, the cancer, and this on top, you poor thing. Be strong, like you are, and hang in there mate :) - Jess (13)

Question: Partial or total thyroidectomy? I have been diagnosed with stage I papillary thyroid cancer. It is on the left side of my thyroid and my doctor said that I need to have surgery. He has given me the choice of having the entire thyroid removed or just the one side. I have nodules on the other side so they could be cancerous as well, but I have not yet been tested. If i decide not to have the total, I will need to have the other nodules biopsied and if they are cancerous then I no longer have a choice. I've been trying to do research but I don't really see much of what the difference is in regards to risks, prognosis, long term effects, side effects, etc. I have also read a lot of things where people have talked about having lots of weight gain, mood swings, anxiety and depression afterwards. This worries me because I am Bipolar and I am not sure that I would be able to handle that. If anyone has any suggestions, advice or thoughts please let me know.

Answer: I think it's kind of strange that your doctor is asking what you want, they are the expert. Before my FNA biopsy confirmed my single nodule to be Papillary thyroid cancer, my surgeon said, "If it isn't cancer, you'll get a partial thyroidectomy, but if it's cancer, it's all coming out." Sounds like your surgeon will do a frozen section biopsy during surgery to see if if spread/ in the other nodules. If you do a partial thyroidectomy, you might not have to be on thyroid replacement hormone (a positive), but you can't use the tumor markers (Tg - Thyroglobulin and TgAB - Thyroglobulin Antibodies) to catch any early recurrence. This is a really hard decision, hopefully you and your doctor can come to the right decision. Good luck! I suggest contacting them with any questions you have http://www.thyca.org/index.htm

Question: If any doctors or cancer specialists r here plzz tell me d meaning n treatment of my mother's FNAC report? The report says: US guided FNA of the mass in the right side of neck yielded granular particulate material. Smears are cellular.They show epithelial cells arranged in acini,papillae,clusters or discretely.The cells show moderate pleomoephism with nucleomegaly,scanty cytoplasm and prominent nucleoli.Intranuclear inclusions are also seen.Metaplastic changes and giant cells are present COMMENTS:The overall cytomorphological features are of metastatis from papillary carcinoma of thyroid. Histological examination is suggested for confirmation. My mother is also a suger patient (198 PP) This is no joke,only doctors and cancer specialists answer this,which stage it is?what are the chances of survival?What is the best possible treatment?Plzzzzzz I beg again if an doctor or cancer specilaists has any accurate suggestion answer this,pleaseeeeeeee

Answer: You cannot stage cancer from an FNA alone. Papillary carcinoma is the most common cancer of the thyroid and about half the cases have lymph node involvement when they are diagnosed. This appears to be the case with your mother. Distant mets occur late, if at all. Her chances of survival are good 3-12% die as a result of thyroid cancer. The 10-year survival rate for patients under 40 years-old is 95% and for those over 40 it is 75%. There are some factors that can affect this, but lymph node involvement is not one of them. Her doctor will go over this with her along with a treatment plan. She will need surgery and few other tests, the results determine the best treatment. EDIT: There is nothing irresponsible, unethical or unprofessional in answering someone’s question. I like to think it helps people to understand with a is happening to them or their loved ones.

Question: how long can a cat survive with cancer (bone, i think)? fyi- i will schedule a vet visit for him soon, so please don't suggest i take him to the vet. i'm just posting to hear your personal experiences. i think my 10 yr old cat has bone cancer. i'm not sure how long. i just felt a squishy thing on his back hind leg yesterday. this am, for the first time in his life (besides once when he was on a new med), he threw up. so i think he can be in the early stages. BUT, he had that same leg injured 7+yrs ago, and has always (at times) been "stiff" in that leg, and i always chalked it up to the injury. more recently, he has "cried" in pain 2 or 3 times when he twisted his leg or something. but again, i just chalked it up to the injury plus him being older, so i thought he was getting arthitus. plus, he was diagnosed with a mild case of hyper thyroid about 6 mths ago. here is my second question- the vet said the case was very mild. he is on the gel form of meds. the vet told me to click the pen type dispenser 2x- which i did for about 3 mths. then the vet told me that she just realized it was 2 full rotations for the right amt of meds- so i was serverly under medicating him for all this time. all through this he seemed fine (with the hperthyroidism). my question is, do you think the vet mis diagnosed my cat the first time? do you think he doesn't have hyperthyroid to begin with? should i go back to this vet? i know she did bloodwork and tested him for cancers, and she said none showed up (again about 6 mths ago). anyway, if he does have cancer, i will not be amputating or do any form of chemo. it hurts to say that, but i just feel that is people putting more pain on animals and not what they would prob choose. anyway, i won't do it. how long do you think my cat will survive if he does have cancer (right now he is doing pretty good. he threw up once, he does have the lump and he is a bit thinner. going back to the hyperthyroid diagnoses- that is why i brought him to the vet to start with- he lost 2 lbs very quickly about 6 months ago. i don't think he has lost anymore) Thanks! I know that was long!

Answer: A cat isn't that different from a person-- if cancer is early stage, they will live longer than if it is late stage. The type also matters too; some types are faster growing than others. However, it sounds like you have absolutely no idea what is wrong with your cat... AND it sounds like your vet doesn't think that your cat even has cancer. My advice: find a new vet and let him/her figure out exactly what's wrong.

Question: My family is falling apart, I need help. Please read the whole thing.? I come from a family of 6; myself, my two parents, and my 3 sisters. I am the only boy in the family. My oldest sister, at 19 years old, is off in college.The next youngest sister is 14 and at the peak of her hormonal wrath. The youngest is 8 and due to trauma early in her life, a literal mauling by stray dogs at a barn when she was 6, she is excessively needy and clingy with massive over dependence on our mom. I'm 17 years old, in my senior year of high school, and my family is on the brink of disjunction. First of all, i would like to give background on my family. My dad is a radiologist; money is not and never has been a problem for us. We have moved frequently through out my lifetime due to increasingly more lucrative job offers. During these travels our family not only developed a habit of establishing superficial relationships with communities but we have also had our share of tragedies. For example, at one point in our lives, while our father was working through residency (a stage in medicine during which one is paid little as they are still being taught), during which we lived in a small home in west virginia owned by a landlord. Although cliche, i must mention that this man was a horrible person. He knowingly passed our house for inspection, despite the fact that the heater was damaged, which eventually led to our entire family suffering from a near fatal case of carbon monoxide poisoning, during which my mother lost her 8 week old fetus. Now on to the true issue driving our family apart. My mother developed thyroid cancer when she was 32, nearly a decade ago, and she quite vigorously fought it off. It did; however, leave her needing intense medical supervision and strict medications. She lost her thyroid glands and required medicine assume the job for her, a task not easily accomplished. Over 4 years of instability with her medications she finally became stable and began becoming herself again. Unfortunately, not even a year after this stability was reached, she developed horrible depression. The monotony of her life coupled with the weight gain and loss of figure she suffered, as is typical with thyroid patients, was too much for her and she began loosing control. The doctors prescribed for her anti-depressants which they forewarned were only to be used until she found stability in her life. This took place almost 5 years ago, and she has now quadrupled her dose of anti-depressants. She no longer takes her prescribed dose of thyroid medicine, and makes up for it with anti depressents. She is getting sicker, she is getting meaner, and she is, in a way, no longer my mother. On to my current situation. We now live in a wealthy suburb of a small city, and have lived here for almost 4 years. It seems on the surface that we may finally have settled, however that is not the case. My mother is now an empty shell of what she once was. She is narcissistic and self hating at the same time, she is apathetic towards her own children, and she is barely within the realm of self realization. She drifts day to day hopped up on medication, and takes every opportunity she has to unleash her pent up rage towards her current situation on our father. My dad is growing cold towards her, and they literally share no emotional connection on a day to day basis. My dad has had 2 of his brothers die in the past year, and yet my mom shows him no compassion. He goes to work from 7 am to 8 pm earning money from the family, and then returns home only to be belligerently attacked by my mother for inane things such as "not calling her during the day to talk". To top things off, when he seeks consolance in his children, the college sister simply demands more money which he is quite aware just gets spent on alcohol and weed, my second youngest sister unleashes her hormonal rage on him, and the youngest sister hangs on him so much that he simply cannot have time to breathe. I do what i can to help him, we go on runs together and lift weights, however i am certain this is not enough. I hate seeing him being, for lack of a better word, being shit on after putting in so much work to give our family the lavish life style most members of my family feel they are entitled to. I am certain that if he left now, my dad could find another woman and live a happier life, he is fit, good looking, and a doctor, however i do not want to see my family torn apart like that. Neither he nor my mother are happy and i am afraid it is only a matter of time until crack in our families foundation splits into a giant schism not capable of repair.

Answer: GET ON THE SHOW DR. PHIL.... (Sorry, did not read the entire thing, I only read the first sentence of each paragraph) LIFE IS TOO SHORT to read every word. GOOD LUCK, GET ON DR. PHIL.

Question: My family is cracking apart, I cant hold it together. Please help.? I come from a family of 6; myself, my two parents, and my 3 sisters. I am the only boy in the family. My oldest sister, at 19 years old, is off in college.The next youngest sister is 14 and at the peak of her hormonal wrath. The youngest is 8 and due to trauma early in her life, a literal mauling by stray dogs at a barn when she was 6, she is excessively needy and clingy with massive over dependence on our mom. I'm 17 years old, in my senior year of high school, and my family is on the brink of disjunction. First of all, i would like to give background on my family. My dad is a radiologist; money is not and never has been a problem for us. We have moved frequently through out my lifetime due to increasingly more lucrative job offers. During these travels our family not only developed a habit of establishing superficial relationships with communities but we have also had our share of tragedies. For example, at one point in our lives, while our father was working through residency (a stage in medicine during which one is paid little as they are still being taught), during which we lived in a small home in west virginia owned by a landlord. Although cliche, i must mention that this man was a horrible person. He knowingly passed our house for inspection, despite the fact that the heater was damaged, which eventually led to our entire family suffering from a near fatal case of carbon monoxide poisoning, during which my mother lost her 8 week old fetus. Now on to the true issue driving our family apart. My mother developed thyroid cancer when she was 32, nearly a decade ago, and she quite vigorously fought it off. It did; however, leave her needing intense medical supervision and strict medications. She lost her thyroid glands and required medicine assume the job for her, a task not easily accomplished. Over 4 years of instability with her medications she finally became stable and began becoming herself again. Unfortunately, not even a year after this stability was reached, she developed horrible depression. The monotony of her life coupled with the weight gain and loss of figure she suffered, as is typical with thyroid patients, was too much for her and she began loosing control. The doctors prescribed for her anti-depressants which they forewarned were only to be used until she found stability in her life. This took place almost 5 years ago, and she has now quadrupled her dose of anti-depressants. She no longer takes her prescribed dose of thyroid medicine, and makes up for it with anti depressents. She is getting sicker, she is getting meaner, and she is, in a way, no longer my mother. On to my current situation. We now live in a wealthy suburb of a small city, and have lived here for almost 4 years. It seems on the surface that we may finally have settled, however that is not the case. My mother is now an empty shell of what she once was. She is narcissistic and self hating at the same time, she is apathetic towards her own children, and she is barely within the realm of self realization. She drifts day to day hopped up on medication, and takes every opportunity she has to unleash her pent up rage towards her current situation on our father. My dad is growing cold towards her, and they literally share no emotional connection on a day to day basis. My dad has had 2 of his brothers die in the past year, and yet my mom shows him no compassion. He goes to work from 7 am to 8 pm earning money from the family, and then returns home only to be belligerently attacked by my mother for inane things such as "not calling her during the day to talk". To top things off, when he seeks consolance in his children, the college sister simply demands more money which he is quite aware just gets spent on alcohol and weed, my second youngest sister unleashes her hormonal rage on him, and the youngest sister hangs on him so much that he simply cannot have time to breathe. I do what i can to help him, we go on runs together and lift weights, however i am certain this is not enough. I hate seeing him being, for lack of a better word, being **** on after putting in so much work to give our family the lavish life style most members of my family feel they are entitled to. I am certain that if he left now, my dad could find another woman and live a happier life, he is fit, good looking, and a doctor, however i do not want to see my family torn apart like that. Neither he nor my mother are happy and i am afraid it is only a matter of time until crack in our families foundation splits into a giant schism not capable of repair.

Answer: 1. Do your relatives know? 2. Has your Mom been to counselling? 3. Change doctors for your Mom? I'm thinking that at this stage, only a professional can help you; talk with your dad and see if he will go to counselling, and get your mom to go as well. If they won't go, relatives who know about it could help either with their problems or make them go. With quite a bit of counselling and rehabilitation, your family could become better.

Question: Is it normal to feel like this? I'm gonna give it straight. I have Thyroid cancer that has spread to my lymph nodes. I had Thyroid removal surgery along with 47 lymph nodes on February 5th, 2009, and am going for treatment on the 27th of April (RAI). I was just curious, I haven't worried about anything since the night before surgery. I haven't worried about anything or been scared of anything before that either, except of course the day I found out I had it. Is it weird that I'm not worried about ANYTHING? Is this normal, what is it? I rarely get worried about anything. The most I really get worried about is presenting a big speech to my class at school or something, cause I have horrible stage fright.

Answer: I never worry about health problems myself, God is in charge and if you had that sort of surgery prognosis is generally very good, a positive attitude is great for aiding recovery, good luck!

Question: Doctor's ONLY please...I am 16yrs remission breast cancer.? I was stage 3, estrogen sensitive...I did 6 mos chemo (5 different drug...5fu, cytoxin, methotrexate,other 2?) I took tomxifen for 10 mos and stopped...I have NEVER had any hormonal replacement therapy of any kind. In 2003 a doctor put me on insulin (1 YR)& my wt shot up 85#'s. When I discovered this I made every change necessary to get off of the shots which I succeeded in doing and I've been off about 8-10 months..I've lost 25#'s just since Jan. My current A1C is 6.2...I take 10mg glucotrol xl, and for my thyroid I take levilthroxine 250 mcg. My question has to do with a prickly stinging sensation when I have been extra active....If I am going to get more weight off I really need to start working up a little sweat...right now I am only walking because I do have (scale 1-10) 7 level joint pain in my hips, knees, (roller skating acc in 1987). This feeling is quite painful and takes 20 -30 sec to subside. It's feels like needle pains (like falling on a cactus plant). Please help

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