Thyroid Cancer: 'Most Patients Live Normal Lives After Treatment'

Being told you need surgery for thyroid cancer can feel overwhelming—and for good reason. The thyroid gland, a small but powerful part of the endocrine system, plays a crucial role in regulating your metabolism, brain function, heart rate, digestion and more. Knowing that a surgeon will be operating on the front of your neck — so close to many delicate and vital structures — can understandably make the whole situation feel even more intimidating.

Yet the news for those with thyroid cancer is positive. “Patients with thyroid cancers generally do very well with treatment and live normal lives after treatment,” says radiation oncologist Noah Kalman, M.D., who specializes in head and neck cancers at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute.

Thyroid Cancer Cases On the Rise

More than 44,000 new cases of thyroid cancer will be diagnosed this year in the U.S., according to the American Cancer Society. Celebrities who have been outspoken about their thyroid cancer include actress Sofia Vergara, singer Rod Stewart, TV host Deborah Norville and house flipper Tarek El Moussa. It’s the most common cancer among women ages 20 to 24 and the fifth-most common cancer in women.

Like many types of cancer, thyroid cancer appears to be on the rise in recent years. “It’s not clear why there are more thyroid cancer cases,” Dr. Kalman says. “But we do have better imaging to detect smaller cancers.” Because of improved imaging, many small thyroid tumors are being found early, sometimes when testing is done for other problems.

Symptoms of Thyroid Cancer

Symptoms of thyroid cancer include a mass or lump in the neck, swelling and pain in the neck, voice changes (commonly hoarseness), a cough that doesn’t get better and is not the result of a cold, trouble swallowing and difficulty breathing.

Nodules in the thyroid are extremely common, and most are benign, says Robert Udelsman, M.D., chief of endocrine surgery and director of the Endocrine Neoplasia Institute at Miami Cancer Institute. “An endocrinologist can screen for these nodules and decide what needs to be biopsied,” he says.

Treatments for Thyroid Cancer

If the biopsy shows cancer, surgery is the most common treatment. An experienced team at the Institute is able to handle the most complex cases. Dr. Udelsman has performed more than 10,000 thyroid surgeries in his career and performed the first transoral thyroidectomy in Florida, accessing the thyroid through the mouth and leaving no scar.

In addition to surgery, some patients benefit from targeted therapies. “Radioactive iodine is the ‘original’ targeted therapy, as thyroid cells are some of the few cells that use iodine in the body,” Dr. Kalman says. Patients swallow a capsule or liquid form of radioactive iodine. The iodine is then absorbed by thyroid cells, destroying the cancer.

“BRAF and RET inhibitors can target specific mutations or even induce thyroid cancers that had stopped taking up iodine to start taking up iodine again,” he adds.

To reduce your risk of thyroid cancer, don’t smoke and avoid exposure to radiation. Also, if you have a family history of thyroid cancer, particularly medullary thyroid cancer, ask your doctor about genetic testing.

Noah Kalman, M.D., a radiation oncologist at Baptist Health Miami Cancer Institute who specializes in head and neck cancers

Robert Udelsman, M.D., chief of endocrine surgery and director of the Endocrine Neoplasia Institute at Miami Cancer Institute