[hess4kids]

#1060461

Has anyone else out there received a diagnosis of thyroid cancer after having a total thyroidectomy for Graves. My 17 year old daughter had a TT three weeks ago. At our two week check up, we were completely stunned to find out that, during the pathology exam, they found two tumors. She was actually in stage one of thyroid cancer. The surgeon said he was quite suprised, and finding cancer in a graves thyroidectomy is quite rare. We are still in shock from hearing the C word. My daughter actually began to pass out….

[snelsen]

#1182768

I am sorry the doctor did not take more time to explain all of this. Sooner or later, you will hear that thyroid cancer is one of the “best” cancers to have. Most of them are really slow growing, when found the treatment is a TT!!!
So she is ahead of all of this. More women than men have it, usually in their 40s and 50s.

But the best news is that after this shock, and perhaps some more reassurance for a nice doc who will take time to confirm what I have written (cause I am not a doc) you and she will find that it will be a non-issue in her future life, with no impact at all. Because it WAS FOUND!! Yay.

Your daughter may/may not have had a scan before her surgery. Practice varies. And even so, the nodules could have been so small.
Thyroid cancer Stage I is manageable, treatable, and I am sure she will be referred to the proper doc. I hope you find a compassionate doctor who takes more time. Basically, it is a GIFT that she had Graves’ and had the TT. The surgeon did the right thing, sent the thyroid to pathology, and this was discovered, small and early. TT is the treatment for Stage I and II thyroid cancer. Sometimes with a little dose of radioactive iodine, mostly not.

This is from the Cleveland Clinic:
How is thyroid cancer treated?
You may hear your surgeon talk about the ‘stage’ of thyroid cancer. This is a classification system that determines the size of the tumor, if it has spread within the thyroid gland, or how much the cancer has spread to other areas of the body. The lower the stage (the stages are 0 through IV), the less the cancer has spread. Treatment plans are developed based on the stage and the type of cancer.

Stage I and II papillary and follicular thyroid cancer
Treatment options include:

Surgery to remove the entire thyroid (total thyroidectomy), followed by hormone therapy and, in most cases, radioactive iodine
Surgery to remove one lobe of the thyroid (lobectomy), followed by hormone therapy. This option is used only when the tumor is very small (less than 10 mm — which is less than one-third of an inch) stage I cancers.

Your daughter will be fine!!!!! This was an incidental finding and a very fortunate one. As well as a big shock the way it was presented. You needed more education to accompany the bomb he dropped on you unexpectedly.
shirley

[Kimberly]

#1182770

Hello – Yes, we’ve had a handful of posters here over the years who discovered that they had thyroid cancer post-thyroidectomy.

Shirley gave you some great info; another good resource is ThyCA, the Thyroid Cancer Survivor’s Society.

(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).

http://www.thyca.org/

ThyCa provides reliable info on treatment options and also many support groups located in various parts throughout the U.S.

Also, be sure to have a discussion with your doctor about the relative risk of your daughter’s cancer and whether follow up with Radioactive Iodine is needed. For patients with “low risk” papillary cancer, most doctors are moving away from this treatment as a follow up. It’s all about weighing the risk of the cancer recurring/spreading vs. the risk of any potential treatment options. Here’s some more info from the American Thyroid Association:

http://www.thyroid.org/overuse-of-radioactive-iodine-to-treat-low-risk-thyroid-cancer-is-highest-in-regions-with-poor-health-care-access/

Wishing you and your family all the best!

[Talley]

#1182771

Hi there;

I had my TT in June of 2014 due to Graves, but mainly because I had a mass in my chest that they needed to remove and my endo wanted the thyroid removed at the same time so I could avoid RAI or surgery later.

I was surprised when my surgeon told me that they found cancer in my thyroid (the mass was benign). I feel lucky that my endo recommended the TT when I told him about the surgery to remove the mass.

I would highly recommend going to inspire.com thyCa: thyroid cancer survivors association. I’ve learned a lot about our “good” cancer…there is some helpful information out there to help post dx – if you want to PM me if you have any questions, feel free.

I’m sorry about your daughter’s cancer dx. I hope she is doing well after her TT and finding the right medications post TT.

[hess4kids]

#1182772

Thank you everyone. Your responses have made me feel so much better! I truly appreciate it! It helps so much to hear from “real” people who have been through it, and understand.

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