Is it possible to treat thyroid cancer without chemotherapy?

Whether thyroid cancer requires chemotherapy should be determined based on the pathological type, stage, and physical condition of the patient. If the thyroid cancer is differentiated and has not metastasized to distant sites, chemotherapy is not required. However, if the thyroid cancer is undifferentiated or medullary and has metastasized to distant sites, chemotherapy is required.

1. Differentiated thyroid cancer: such as papillary carcinoma and follicular carcinoma. This type of thyroid cancer has a low degree of malignancy and a good prognosis. It is usually not accompanied by lymph node metastasis and distant organ metastasis, so chemotherapy is generally not required. However, patients need to follow the doctor's advice to regularly review color Doppler ultrasound, five thyroid function tests, etc. to understand changes in the condition;

2. Undifferentiated thyroid cancer: Undifferentiated thyroid cancer is highly malignant, has a poor prognosis, and is prone to lymph node metastasis and distant organ metastasis. For patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer, even if they undergo surgical treatment, they still need to cooperate with auxiliary treatment measures such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy to control the progression of the disease. For patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer, chemotherapy is generally recommended;

3. Medullary carcinoma: Medullary carcinoma is a tumor between benign and malignant. It grows rapidly and is prone to lymph node metastasis and distant organ metastasis. For patients with medullary carcinoma, after surgical resection, they also need to cooperate with radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other auxiliary treatment measures to control the progression of the disease. For patients with medullary carcinoma, chemotherapy is generally recommended;

4. Other situations: In addition to the above situations, chemotherapy is not recommended if the patient is older or has underlying diseases, because the patient's physical condition is poor and cannot tolerate the side effects of chemotherapy.