Treatment for thyroid cancer
Treatment for thyroid cancer includes:
surgery
radioactive iodine
A team of doctors and other professionals discuss the best treatment and care for you. They are called a multidisciplinary team (MDT).
The MDT includes:
a surgeon - a doctor who does operations
an oncologist – a cancer specialist
an endocrinologist - a specialist doctor who treats illnesses affecting the hormone (endocrine) system
a radiologist – a doctor specialising in reporting x-rays and scans
a clinical nurse specialist (CNS) - a nurse who offers support and advice during and after treatment
a nuclear medicine specialist - a doctor who specialises in tests and scans that use radioactive substances
a pathologist - a doctor who specialises in looking at cells under the microscope
Your doctor will then talk to you about the treatment they suggest. They will explain its benefits and the possible side effects.
Your treatment will depend on:
where your cancer is
how big it is and whether it has spread (the stage)
your type of thyroid cancer
how abnormal the cells look under a microscope (the grade)
your general health and level of fitness
The main treatments for thyroid cancer are described below. You may have more than one of these treatments.
Surgery is the most common treatment for thyroid cancer. The surgeon might remove:
part of your thyroid - this is a lobectomy, partial thyroidectomy or hemithyroidectomy
all of your thyroid gland - this is a total thyroidectomy
lymph nodes in your neck
These are big operations, carried out under general anaesthetic.
Go to information about surgery for thyroid cancer
Radioactive iodine is a type of internal radiotherapy. It uses a radioactive form of iodine called iodine 131 (I-131). Thyroid cells absorb iodine 131 and the radiation in the iodine kills the cancer cells.
It is only suitable for some types of thyroid cancer, including:
follicular thyroid cancer
papillary thyroid cancer
You usually have the radioactive iodine as a drink or capsule. You might need to stay in hospital for a few days.
Read more about radioactive iodine treatment
You might have thyroid hormone replacement:
after surgery to replace the hormones your thyroid gland would normally make
as a treatment for your thyroid cancer
You usually take thyroxine (T4), or occasionally liothyronine (T3) tablets.
Read more about taking thyroid hormones in our page about life after surgery
Targeted cancer drugs work by targeting the differences in cancer cells that help them to grow and survive. There are many different types of targeted drugs.
Doctors use a type called tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKI) for thyroid cancer. You might have these drugs for thyroid cancer if:
other treatments are not an option or no longer work
your cancer begins to grow outside of the thyroid gland or spread to another part of your body
Read about targeted cancer drugs
Radiotherapy uses high energy waves similar to x-rays to destroy cancer cells. External radiotherapy uses a radiotherapy machine to aim radiation beams at a cancer. You have this treatment in the hospital radiotherapy department.
You might have external radiotherapy if other treatments do not work very well.
Find out about external radiotherapy
Chemotherapy uses anti cancer (cytotoxic) drugs to destroy cancer cells. The drugs circulate throughout the body in your bloodstream.
Doctors don't often use chemotherapy to treat thyroid cancer. But you might have it if your cancer has spread to another part of the body, or if it comes back
Go to information about chemotherapy for thyroid cancer
There are different types of thyroid cancer. Your type depends on several factors including what type of cell the cancer starts in.
Some types of thyroid cancer have similar treatment. Below we have information about treatment for some different types including:
differentiated thyroid cancers - papillary, follicular and oncocytic (Hurthle cell) thyroid cancer
medullary thyroid cancer
anaplastic thyroid cancer
Your doctor might ask if you’d like to take part in a clinical trial. Doctors and researchers do trials to make existing treatments better and develop new treatments.
Last reviewed: 20 Sept 2023
Next review due: 20 Sept 2026
The type of thyroid cancer refers to the type of cell the cancer started in. The stage of a cancer tells you its size and whether it has spread.
Possible treatments include surgery, radiotherapy, targeted drugs and chemotherapy. What treatment you have depends on your type and stage of thyroid cancer.
Survival for thyroid cancer depends upon the type and stage of your thyroid cancer. Survival is generally very good for papillary and follicular thyroid cancers.
Practical and emotional support is available to help you cope with thyroid cancer.
The thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland that makes and releases hormones. It’s found at the front of your neck in the lowest part.
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