Support Group: Why Does Thyroid Cancer ReOccur?

I scour the support groups for some of the best questions and answers. Everyone's names are removed for privacy. Answers may be summarized and/or edited.

Question: Can someone explain why thyroid cancer reoccurs after a total thyroidectomy?

Answer:

• Here's the skinny on it. In layman's terms.Your thyroid is a tissue; NOT an organ like a kidney, or heart. So when they cut it out, it doesn't come out "whole" like a kidney would. It has to be cut away, like fat off a piece of steak. What happens is the same that happens to a piece of meat. You have fragments, sometimes extremely microscopic that is stuck to the knife, stays on the fat, or is on the cutting board. Those tiny fragments are left in the thyroid bed, or they float... and thyroid tissue likes to attach itself to the bones or lungs or lymph nodes. 
• RAI will burn out any remaining fragments. MOST times. That's why they do a scan. They can see if it lights up anywhere else that some tissues may have moved to or been left behind. And that RAI will continue to burn thyroid tissue for a year. 
• They will keep you suppressed to under .1 on your TSH. This will trick your pituitary gland into thinking you have way too much TSH and will draw back, completely haulting any production of TSH because if that doesn't happen, and the pituitary produces TSH, it will find any remaining tissues and cause it to grow, and will grow cancer. So if any tissues attached to the bones and the RAI didn't get it, the TSH will cause a metastasis to the bones. 
• My surgeon said it was like scooping out grape jelly. So, imagine a surgery where you are trying to clean out grape jelly from tendons and muscle and tissue. It may not come out 100%.
•  because some thyroid cells or tissue remained after surgery and the iodine ablation.
• the smallest left tissue can grow back. I've had three reoccurrences even with having a TT and two rounds of RAI
• It can come back in the lymph nodes

All of mine couldn't be removed because I had a nerve running through it
Thyroid cells grew. Not taking my meds correctly led to my body trying to re grow a thyroid







Disclaimer: I am not a doctor, nutritionist, nor personal trainer. Never take medical advice over the internet. Seek the advice of your doctor before following any of the recommendations made during this series.