Is ablation not recommended for thyroid cancer?

Ablation surgery is not recommended for thyroid cancer. Ablation surgery uses laser or radio frequency to locally remove part or all of the thyroid gland through thermal or cold effects. It may cause serious complications, including two situations: one is hypothyroidism, and the other is lymph node metastasis in the neck.

1. Hypothyroidism:

If the patient develops hypothyroidism after ablation surgery, thyroid hormone supplementation is needed, such as the use of levothyroxine sodium tablets and other drugs for treatment.

2. Lymph node metastasis in the neck:

If a thyroid cancer patient has lymph node metastasis in the neck before ablation surgery, and the lesion is relatively large and has not been completely removed, ablation surgery is generally not recommended. Ablation surgery can damage the lymph nodes, causing them to enlarge and possibly compress the recurrent laryngeal nerve.

3. Distant metastasis:

If a thyroid cancer patient develops distant metastasis after ablation surgery, such as lung metastasis, liver metastasis, bone metastasis, etc., then it is meaningless to perform ablation surgery at this time, and treatment is required for the site of metastasis.

Ablation surgery is performed under the guidance of ultrasound or CT, using the high temperature generated by high-frequency current to separate and remove diseased tissue to achieve the purpose of treating the disease. It is performed under local anesthesia to avoid damaging surrounding normal tissues. If the patient has heart disease, lung disease, liver damage, etc., they need to inform the doctor in advance. After the ablation surgery, the patient needs to lie flat and rest for 3-4 hours, and monitor changes in blood pressure, heart rate, etc. to observe whether there are any complications.