This tumor, which was considered to be the second most common thyroid gland tumor in the past, is diagnosed very rarely by pathologists today. This type of cancer, like papillary thyroid cancer, responds well to treatment and is unlikely to recur.
The basic treatment for this tumor is surgical removal of the tumor-containing half or entire part of the thyroid gland and then radioactive iodine if necessary by the following physicians.
Compared with papillary thyroid cancer, this tumor less frequently causes neck metastases, whereas distant organ metastases such as lungs and bones are thought to be more common.
What are the causes of follicular thyroid cancer and in whom is it more common?
Follicular thyroid cancer;
- In women,
- Individuals around the age of fifty
- It is known that it is more common in individuals in geographical regions where iodine deficiency is experienced
.
There is no proven relationship between radiation and follicular cancer formation.
What kind of symptoms does follicular thyroid cancer cause?
Patients with follicular thyroid cancer usually present to the physician in two different ways:
- It is palpable in the thyroid gland or detected by ultrasound. When the pathologist mentions the presence or suspicion of follicular neoplasm or lesion upon taking a fine needle biopsy from the nodules.
- When it is understood that the metastases detected during medical examinations in organs such as lungs and bones are due to thyroid follicular cancer metastases after biopsy.
In other words, follicular thyroid cancer appears with symptoms such as a palpable nodule in the thyroid gland or metastasis in distant organs.
How is follicular thyroid cancer diagnosed?
When the needle biopsy taken from the nodule in the thyroid gland is reported as follicular neoplasm or lesion, this means that the pathologist is undecided between the diagnoses of malignant follicular cancer and benign follicular adenoma. When such a needle biopsy diagnosis is encountered, what needs to be done is to surgically remove (half) the thyroid lobe where the nodule is located and further It is sent to a pathologist for detailed examination.
In addition, sometimes biopsies taken from the areas where this cancer has metastasized (lung, bone, liver, etc.) reveal that the metastases are caused by thyroid follicular cancer. Efforts are made to detect the focus.
How is follicular thyroid cancer treated?
The main treatment for this disease or its suspicion is surgery. If follicular thyroid cancer is suspected in the thyroid gland after a fine needle biopsy, surgical removal of the lobe (half) or the entire thyroid gland containing the sampled nodule is often the standard treatment method.
This procedure sometimes prevents follicular cancer. It is also necessary to confirm the diagnosis. The extent of surgery to be performed, e.g. The decision of whether half or the entire thyroid gland will be removed is made by the physicians directing the treatment.
Since metastasis (spread) to the neck lymph nodes is less common in this disease than in follicular thyroid cancer, neck dissection (surgical removal of the neck lymph nodes) is rarely performed. It is necessary.
The important thing here is to completely remove one or both halves of the thyroid gland. In this case, depending on the results of the pathology examination, the probability of needing a repeat surgery decreases, and if necessary, the work to be done becomes easier and healthier. The job becomes easier for the surgeon and the endocrinology and nuclear medicine specialist physicians who may later be involved in the treatment.
Radioactive iodine treatment can be added to increase the effectiveness of surgical treatment, depending on the preference of the physicians directing the treatment in this disease.
Surgery. If a lobe (half) of the thyroid gland is to be removed during surgery, it is essential not to leave any or very little thyroid tissue on that side. Likewise, if the thyroid lobes on both sides are to be removed, it would be the healthiest and most correct practice to leave no or very little thyroid tissue behind.
Is any other operation or treatment required after follicular thyroid cancer surgery?
In case follicular cancer is detected in the removed thyroid gland tissue, the patient's age, gender, whether there are other diseases, the size of the tumor Many factors such as its size, cell characteristics in microscopic examination, spread of the tumor to the lymph nodes, surroundings or distant organs may lead to a second surgery (if not removed, removal of the other half of the thyroid gland or cleaning of the neck lymph nodes) or radioactive iodine treatment (popularly known). atomic therapy), and rarely, radiotherapy.
Evaluating all these factors and choosing the most appropriate treatment for the patient and the disease requires serious experience and medical knowledge. Your physician will determine the most appropriate path to follow in planning your treatment.
What is neck dissection in the treatment of follicular thyroid cancer and when is it necessary?
A part of the surgical treatment of malignant tumors in the head and neck region is the disease involved. It is a neck dissection operation, which is the systematic removal of obvious or possible lymph nodes without damaging vital structures in the neck. This operation is almost always performed simultaneously with the removal of tumor tissue.
Follicular thyroid cancer is a tumor that can rarely metastasize (spread) to the neck lymph nodes. If there are visible (on examination, ultrasound or MRI) metastases in the lymph nodes in these areas, neck dissection becomes a necessary procedure during the removal of the thyroid gland.
Follicular thyroid cancer is much rarer than papillary and medullary cancers. It can metastasize to the lateral parts. In this case, a neck dissection involving these areas may be necessary.
Your physician will inform you about the necessity of neck dissection.
Radioactive iodine treatment in follicular thyroid cancer. In what cases is (atomic therapy) necessary?
The cells in the thyroid gland and the tumor cells originating from them absorb the iodine atoms given to the body to make thyroid hormone or its precursors. This is an advantage in the treatment of some thyroid diseases (such as hyperthyroidism) and some thyroid cancers. When the radioactive isotope of iodine is introduced into the body, tumor cells absorb these atoms and the radiation released from the atoms causes the death of those cells. Thus, after surgery, it is still in the body (length It is aimed to destroy the remaining tumor cells in the tumor region or in distant organs and regions such as lungs and bones. In order to achieve this, healthy thyroid tissue, which is much more hungry for iodine than tumor cells, must be completely or almost completely removed from the body by surgery.
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