The New York Thyroid Center estimates that more than 10,000 new diagnoses of papillary thyroid cancer are made each year in the United States. It is the most common type of thyroid cancer, according to the center, making up 70 percent of all thyroid cancer diagnoses, and is typically diagnosed in individuals under the age of 40. Papillary thyroid cancer is treatable; the specific treatment used depends on the stage of the disease and the patient's general health.
Surgery
Surgery is the most common form of treatment for thyroid cancer, reports the National Cancer Institute. According to the New York Thyroid Center, only surgery can cure papillary thyroid cancer. Different surgical procedures include a lobectomy, which is the removal of part of the thyroid where the tumor is, as well as removal of some lymph nodes; a near-total thyroidectomy, where all but a small portion of the thyroid is removed; a total thyroidectomy; and a lymphadenectomy, which involves removal of lymph nodes in the neck that are cancerous.
Radiation Therapy
Using high-energy X-rays to kill cancer cells is the premise behind radiation therapy, and the treatment can be given in two ways for thyroid cancer: externally and internally. External radiation therapy uses a machine outside the body to aim the radiation toward the cancerous area; internal radiation uses radioactive seeds or pellets that are placed into or close to the affected area. For papillary thyroid cancer, the radiation is typically the external kind. If the thyroid cancer has metastasized, radiation can be used to treat symptoms such as pain resulting from tumors. According to the National Cancer Institute, this cancer may also be treated with radioactive iodine, or RAI, therapy. RAI is given orally. Iodine is only absorbed by thyroid tissue, so any cancer that is remaining in the thyroid picks up the radioactive iodine and is subsequently destroyed. This treatment may be used if there are cancer cells remaining after surgery or if the cancer recurs.
Thyroid Hormone Therapy
If the entire thyroid or most of it has been removed, thyroid hormone cannot be produced in the body, so an individual needs to take supplemental thyroid hormones, according to the American Cancer Society. Thyroid hormone therapy also helps prevent thyroid cancer from returning, or slows the growth of cancer because it lowers another hormone called thyroid stimulating hormone, or TSH. TSH is released when thyroid hormones are low, signaling the body to make more of the hormone. Because TSH helps the thyroid grow, it may also encourage thyroid cancer cells to grow, according to the American Cancer Society. If thyroid hormone is given, the hormone levels stay steady, preventing TSH from being released, and thus preventing a possible growth factor for thyroid cancer.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy alone is typically not effective against papillary thyroid cancer, but may be used in advanced cases of thyroid cancer that have stopped responding to the other standard treatments. Chemotherapy is the use of oral, intravenous or subcutaneous medications to kill cancer cells. The drugs enter the bloodstream and are able to kill cancer cells throughout the body.
