What will happen if thyroid cancer patients don't quit smoking? What should they do?

If you do not quit smoking for thyroid cancer, you need to deal with it according to the specific situation. If the patient is in the early stage of thyroid cancer and there is no metastasis, surgery can usually be performed, combined with adjuvant treatments such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy. If the patient is already in the middle or late stage of thyroid cancer, it may not be cured.

1. Early stage thyroid cancer: For patients with early stage thyroid cancer, since the tumor is small and there is no lymph node metastasis or distant organ metastasis, it can generally be treated by surgical resection. Radioactive iodine-131 therapy, chemotherapy and other adjuvant treatments can also be used. In this case, even if you do not quit smoking, you can still achieve a good treatment effect;

2. Mid- to late-stage thyroid cancer: For patients with mid- to late-stage thyroid cancer, due to the large size of the tumor and the presence of lymph node metastasis or distant organ metastasis, surgical resection cannot completely eliminate the tumor cells. Even if you do not quit smoking, you cannot achieve a good treatment effect. It is recommended that such patients follow the doctor's advice to use drugs such as gefitinib tablets and erlotinib hydrochloride tablets for targeted therapy. If necessary, adjuvant therapy such as radioactive iodine-131 therapy and chemotherapy is also required.

In daily life, patients are advised to maintain good living habits and avoid smoking and drinking. The diet should be light, easy to digest, and nutritionally balanced, and spicy foods should be avoided. If obvious discomfort symptoms occur during the period, patients should seek medical examination as soon as possible and actively cooperate with the doctor for targeted treatment or treatment.