Why Don’t the Physicians Ever Recommend Thyroid RF to the Patient with Micro-Papillary Thyroid Cancer?

This is a letter from a patient told to have surgery asking me about thyroid RFA. The physicians caring for her never mentioned approved alternative therapy. They did not even mention active surveillance.

“What is considered a low risk cancer? I am a 41 yo female.
I had a bad bout of thyroiditis which lead to a US finding a 1.5 cm nodule. I had a FNA with atypical results due to nuclear atypia. The sample was sent to Thyroseq and it showed it had CCDC6/RET gene fusion. They said that it is >95% chance it is cancer and are recommending a thyroidectomy due to my family history of Graves (mother, maternal grandmother and maternal uncle) and Graves antibodies present. Is Radiofrequency RFA something I should consider with this diagnosis? I’m afraid to have to supplement thyroid the rest of my life.”

She may need thyroid hormone not to treat the cancer but to treat the Hashimoto’s thyroidits. With no other diseases of the thyroid she would not need to take a thyroid supplement for life.

Call me for an evaluation before you have surgery for small thyroid cancers.

310-393-8860 or email to thyroid.manager@thyroid.com

Ask for Alicia

Dr.G.