How to conduct follow-up examination after thyroid cancer surgery What examinations are needed for follow-up examination after thyroid cancer surgery

Thyroid cancer is a malignant tumor of the thyroid gland in the front of the neck. The incidence of this disease is relatively high. Once the patient is infected, it is very painful. We need to take it seriously and conduct timely examination and treatment. In clinical practice, thyroid cancer is generally treated surgically. So, how to follow up after thyroid cancer surgery?

1. How to review after thyroid cancer surgery:

After discharge, check up regularly in 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, etc. If you are prescribed medication or feel abnormal, you can check up at any time.

2. Recheck blood test, B-ultrasound examination and others:

1. Blood test:

Within six months after the operation, this period should be considered the medication adjustment period. Patients taking the medication Euthyrox should have their blood checked to see whether their thyroid function TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) is well controlled.

After each medication adjustment, you should take it for a month before checking your blood again, so that you can see the changes. And it is best not to suddenly increase or decrease the dosage of Euthyrox in a short period of time. (For example, taking 2 tablets for a few days and 3 tablets for a few days is not advisable.) But there are exceptions, for example, if the doctor says you can take 2 and 1/4 tablets today and 2 and a half tablets tomorrow, you can take more one day and less the next day, and it is okay to take it every other day, because this is more regular.

A. After total resection: Within one year after surgery, try to control TSH below 0.1 [Note: This standard is lower than the normal range of TSH for normal people. Don’t think that it is within the normal range. The TSH of thyroid cancer patients must be lower than the normal range!] After one year, the TSH value can be appropriately relaxed according to the patient’s condition. When taking Euthyrox for TSH suppression treatment, TG [thyroglobulin] should be lower than 2. If it exceeds 2, iodine 131 treatment should be performed. [Note: TG here does not refer to thyroglobulin antibodies, but to thyroglobulin].

B. After hemisection or subtotal resection: TSH is the same as above. TG is meaningless because it is not a total resection.

C. Do not drink water or eat food before testing your thyroid function. You can drink water, take medicine, eat, etc. after the test.

2.B-ultrasound:

The first checkup is six months after the operation. Then, the B-ultrasound will be done every six months. If you are in a hurry, you can do the B-ultrasound three months after the operation, but it is generally better to do it six months after the operation. Because the incision inside has completely healed, you don't need to fast for this checkup.

3. Other examinations:

You can have a chest X-ray every six months. If you feel uncomfortable, you can ask the doctor what other tests you can do, such as CT, PET-CT, etc. These are generally not necessary routine tests, and you can choose to do them or not. In a word, listen to the doctor.

Many friends say that chest X-rays cannot show it, only CT scans can. Indeed, CT scans can show lung nodules, which chest X-rays sometimes cannot. Therefore, patients can also choose to do a chest CT scan one year after surgery. If it is normal, you can do it every other year, or a few more years later, but don't over-radiate. If it is abnormal, it can also be discovered early. You don't need to fast to check these.

Through the above connection, we have learned the time for follow-up examination after thyroid cancer surgery and the items that need to be reviewed. Clinically, thyroid cancer must be reviewed during treatment, otherwise it will affect the patient's subsequent treatment. Once the condition changes, it will have a more serious impact on the patient. Therefore, we must pay attention to many aspects during treatment, actively face the disease, and strive for a speedy recovery.