Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer care from the first scan through to long-term follow-up. The surgery itself is built around protecting the nerves to the voice; the follow-up is built around catching anything that comes back early.
Thyroid cancer care from the first scan through to long-term follow-up. The surgery itself is built around protecting the nerves to the voice; the follow-up is built around catching anything that comes back early.
What is thyroid cancer?
Thyroid cancer has an exceptionally good outlook overall — much better than most cancers. The most common types (papillary, follicular) are slow-growing and curable in the great majority of cases. Less common types (medullary, anaplastic) need different approaches.
Treatment is centred around surgery — removing the cancer-bearing part of the thyroid, sometimes with the lymph nodes around it. Depending on the type, radioactive iodine treatment may follow, then long-term hormone replacement and structured follow-up.
Who this is for
- A lump in the thyroid that's growing
- A nodule with features on ultrasound that need biopsy
- Voice changes, persistent hoarseness, or trouble swallowing
- Family history of thyroid cancer
How it's done
Confirming the diagnosis
Ultrasound, fine-needle biopsy, sometimes a molecular test on the biopsy material. Together these tell us the type and how aggressive it is.
Surgery
Most thyroid cancers are treated with removal of the affected lobe or the whole gland. Lymph nodes in the central neck (and sometimes the side) are removed when involvement is suspected.
After surgery
For some cancers, radioactive iodine is given a few weeks later to clear any residual cells. Hormone replacement begins shortly after surgery; the dose is adjusted to keep the cancer suppressed.
Recovery & aftercare
Immediate
Most patients go home within 24 to 48 hours of surgery. Voice and calcium are monitored before discharge.
Long-term follow-up
Blood tests every 6 to 12 months, occasional scans, and a hormone tablet daily for life. Most patients live entirely normal lives.
"Thyroid cancer is one of those diagnoses that sounds frightening but, treated properly, has one of the best outcomes in oncology. What 'properly' means: knowing exactly how much to remove, protecting the voice nerves, preserving the parathyroid glands, and following up forever. The mistakes happen when surgery is too small (cancer left behind), too large (unnecessary risk to voice and calcium), or follow-up lapses. We get all three right."
— Dr. Anukriti Sood
Questions worth asking
Almost never for the common types. Surgery (sometimes plus radioactive iodine) is the main treatment. Chemotherapy is reserved for rare aggressive types.
For papillary and follicular thyroid cancer (over 90% of cases), 10-year survival is over 95% with proper treatment.
We use intra-operative nerve monitoring to protect the recurrent laryngeal nerves. The risk of permanent voice change in experienced hands is well under 2%.
Related care
All specialitiesThyroid Nodules
Most thyroid nodules are harmless. The job is to figure out which ones aren't, and that takes ultrasound first, fine-needle aspiration if the scan suggests it. The plan after that depends entirely on what we find.
Learn moreRobotic Thyroid Surgery
Robotic thyroid surgery hides the incision under the arm so the neck stays untouched. The robot does the precision work in a small space; the surgeon controls everything from a console nearby.
Learn moreRecurrent Thyroid Disorders
Re-do thyroid surgery is harder than the first operation. Scar tissue obscures the anatomy, the nerves are at greater risk, and the planning matters more. This is a problem worth sending to someone who has done it many times.
Learn moreThe first consultation
is the first step.
Most concerns can be settled in a single, considered conversation. Reach out — answers usually come faster than you’d expect.
Hours
CK Birla Hospital
Mon – Sat: 10 AM – 3 PM
Clinic
Mon – Sat: 5 PM – 7 PM
Sunday: 8 AM – 10 AM
Visit
Medical D/C Center, Kalwar Rd,
Jhotwara, Jaipur 302012