If thyroid cancer returns

For most people, thyroid cancer does not come back (recur) after the initial treatment. However, some people do have a recurrence. This is why it’s important to have regular check-ups.

If thyroid cancer does come back, it will often just be in the lymph nodes and you may be offered further surgery, sometimes with a repeat of radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment. If the cancer has spread into other parts of the body, the first treatment will usually be RAI. Additional treatments such as targeted therapy, external beam radiation therapy or chemotherapy may also be used.

This information was last reviewed in January 2020. View who reviewed this content.

A/Prof Diana Learoyd, Endocrinologist, Northern Cancer Institute, and Northern Clinical School, The University of Sydney, NSW; Dr Gabrielle Cehic, Nuclear Medicine Physician and Oncologist, South Australia Medical Imaging (SAMI), and Senior Staff Specialist, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, SA; Dr Kiernan Hughes, Endocrinologist, Northern Endocrine and St Vincents Hospital, NSW; Yvonne King, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council NSW; Dr Christine Lai, Senior Consultant Surgeon, Breast and Endocrine Surgical Unit, The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and Senior Lecturer, Discipline of Surgery, University of Adelaide, SA; A/Prof Nat Lenzo, Nuclear Physician and Specialist in Internal Medicine, Group Clinical Director, GenesisCare Theranostics, and The University of Western Australia, WA; Ilona Lillington, Clinical Nurse Consultant (Thyroid and Brachytherapy), Cancer Care Services, Royal Brisbane Women’s Hospital, QLD; Jonathan Park, Consumer.

View the Cancer Council NSW editorial policy.