What follow-up care is available for patients with Thyroid Cancer?
Although thyroid cancer is generally considered one of the most curable types of cancer, it is known to recur many years later. At least 20% of patients will have a recurrence of their thyroid cancer during their lifetime. Surveillance of patients to detect early recurrence and provide early treatment is extremely important. Routine whole body scans using radioiodine are no longer recommended for most patients because of their poor sensitivity in detecting recurrent cancer, expense, and discomfort caused by stopping thyroid hormone before the scan. A more useful method of monitoring for early recurrent cancer is measurement of the blood thyroglobulin level and a careful ultrasound examination of the lymph nodes of the neck by a physician on an annual basis.
