Can I have thyroid cancer without removing the thyroid gland?

If the thyroid gland is not removed for thyroid cancer, it may lead to recurrence and metastasis of cancer cells. In addition, the recurrence rate after surgery is high, so thyroid removal is usually required. Thyroid cancer is a common thyroid malignancy, usually originating from follicular epithelial cells. Generally, there are no obvious symptoms in the early stage and it can be detected through physical examination. In the late stage, symptoms such as neck lumps, shortness of breath, difficulty swallowing, and hoarseness will appear. If the thyroid gland is not removed for thyroid cancer, the cancer cells will continue to grow and multiply, and may also metastasize to other parts of the body through the blood or lymphatic system.

1. Reasons:

1. Failure to remove the thyroid gland: This may be because the patient's thyroid gland was not removed, causing cancer cells to grow and multiply, and continue to stimulate surrounding tissues;

2. Recurrence after surgery: If the thyroid gland is not removed during thyroid cancer surgery, it may be because the cancer cells have metastasized through the lymphatic or blood systems.

2. Treatment:

1. Failure to remove the thyroid gland: If the patient does not remove thyroid cancer, the cancer cells will continue to grow and multiply, and will also stimulate the surrounding tissues. At this time, surgery is required to remove the lesion to prevent recurrence of the disease;

2. Neck lymph node dissection: If the cancer cells are not removed after the patient has undergone thyroid cancer surgery and there is cervical lymph node metastasis, neck lymph node dissection is required for treatment;

3. Distant metastasis: If the patient does not remove the thyroid cancer and the cancer cells have already metastasized to distant places through the blood or lymphatic system, iodine-131 radiotherapy or chemotherapy is needed to eliminate the cancer cells and alleviate the condition.

After surgery, patients can also follow the doctor's advice to take medications such as levothyroxine sodium tablets for treatment, and regularly undergo color Doppler ultrasound examinations to observe changes in their condition. In daily life, such patients should try to avoid spicy, cold, greasy and other irritating foods, such as peppers, ginger, fatty meat, seafood, etc., and should also avoid bad habits such as smoking and drinking.