The thyroid, a small gland located underneath the voice box, regulates the body's metabolism. Several options are available to treat advanced thyroid cancer, which is rare in the United States, reports the American Cancer Society. If the disease is incurable, the goal of treatment is to relieve painful symptoms and to prolong survival by reducing tumor mass and metastasis. It is often helpful to get a second opinion before choosing therapy.
Thyroidectomy
A thyroidectomy, surgical removal of the entire thyroid gland, is the most common treatment for thyroid cancer. Doctors choose this procedure for all thyroid malignancies that are large and aggressive, reports EndocrineWeb. It is especially helpful for young patients, who have high survival rates no matter how aggressive their cancer is, according to the American Cancer Society.
Removal of Lymph Nodes
When thyroid cancer is advanced, surgeons remove swollen lymph nodes from the neck, reports MayoClinic.com. This procedure is especially important for medullary thyroid cancer and, if it is possible to do, for anaplastic cancer, an extremely aggressive subtype.
A central compartment neck dissection is removal of lymph nodes close to the thyroid, explains the American Cancer Society. A modified radical dissection is removal of lymph nodes on the side of the neck.
Radioactive Iodine
Radioactive iodine therapy, administration of large doses of radioactive iodine as a pill or liquid, is used after surgery to kill any leftover cancer cells in the gland, explains MayoClinic.com. It is used to treat thyroid cancer that reoccurs or has spread to other parts of the body.
Radioactive is especially beneficial for people with papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, types with mature, slowing-growing cells, reports the American Cancer Society.
External Beam Radiation Therapy
External beam radiation therapy, a precisely focused beam of high-energy rays from a machine outside the body, is used for medullary and anaplastic thyroid cancer as neither responds to radioactive iodine therapy, reports the American Cancer Society.
It treats cancer that has spread outside the thyroid, reducing the chance it will reoccur in the neck and relieving pain caused by disease spread.
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy, use of anticancer drugs that spread throughout the body, is used for advanced thyroid cancer that does not respond to other treatments, reports the American Cancer Society. It is often combined with radiotherapy for anaplastic thyroid cancer, which spreads rapidly and often can't be operated on.
