Some people may not need treatment right away. This is called active surveillance, and means having regular ultrasounds and check-ups.
- It is usually only for small papillary thyroid cancers that haven’t spread, or small, low-risk cancers.
- It may also be used after partial thyroidectomy surgery when only part of the thyroid remains.
- Some people choose active surveillance if treatment side effects would make them feel worse than the cancer itself.
- A specialist thyroid radiologist will need to map the tumour. If this shows that the cancer is close to muscle, the vocal nerve, windpipe or oesophagus, you will usually need to have surgery.
- Your doctor will explain changes to watch out for.
- You can usually start treatment later if you change your mind, or the cancer grows or spreads.
→ READ MORE: Surgery for thyroid cancer
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A/Prof Diana Learoyd, Endocrinologist, GenesisCare North Shore, St Leonards and University of Sydney, NSW; Sally Brooks, Senior Pharmacist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Monica Kwaczynski, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Susan Leonard, Clinical Nurse Consultant – Thyroid Cancer, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD; Juliette O’Brien OAM, Consumer; Jonathan Park, Consumer; A/Prof Robert Parkyn, Breast and Endocrine Surgeon, St Andrew’s Hospital and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, SA; A/Prof David Pattison, Director, Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Services, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD.
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