previously benign fna

matina

I am trying to find out if it is possible for thyroid nodules to transition from benign to malignant over time. I have had two fine needle biopsies of a solitary thyroid nodule in the past 3 1/2 years and both have been benign. I went in for an ultrasound after 24 months and the nodule has grown in volume by 45%. My doctor wanted to go straight to a thyroid scan and uptake before doing a third fna. The results showed a cold nodule, which was no surprise (85% are cold on scan). I am now scheduled for a third fna? I should say that my mother had Hashimotos and papillary thyroid cancer 14 years ago and my younger sister has Hashimotos. Any thoughts or advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Matina

sunnyaz

Benign to Malignant
Hi Matina,

Yes, it is possible. Always keep on eye on any nodules on the Thyroid and have them checked periodically. Cancerous Nodules will not uptake on an Iodine scan, only microscopic cells and Thyroid tissue. If there is change, get blood work and an FNA if suggested by your doctor. If the Biopsy comes back negative again, still keep an eye on it with blood work and regular scans. If it becomes cancer and is caught early (stage 1) your prognosis is much better than if it's detected in later stages. At later stages it could have already metastasized. I have also read some posts where people have had negative biopsies, went ahead with Thyroidectomy due to problems with swallowing or breathing and found that there was cancer after all that was not detected on the FNA. I would also do some research on the internet about how to keep your Thyroid healthy and properly fed. It seems most Americans are lacking the proper diet for a healthy happy Thyroid and this is a possible major cause to the rise in Thyroid disease. You need Iodine and other supplements as part of your regular daily dietary intake.

Sincerely,
Julie-SunnyAZ

matina

sunnyaz said:

Benign to Malignant
Hi Matina,

Yes, it is possible. Always keep on eye on any nodules on the Thyroid and have them checked periodically. Cancerous Nodules will not uptake on an Iodine scan, only microscopic cells and Thyroid tissue. If there is change, get blood work and an FNA if suggested by your doctor. If the Biopsy comes back negative again, still keep an eye on it with blood work and regular scans. If it becomes cancer and is caught early (stage 1) your prognosis is much better than if it's detected in later stages. At later stages it could have already metastasized. I have also read some posts where people have had negative biopsies, went ahead with Thyroidectomy due to problems with swallowing or breathing and found that there was cancer after all that was not detected on the FNA. I would also do some research on the internet about how to keep your Thyroid healthy and properly fed. It seems most Americans are lacking the proper diet for a healthy happy Thyroid and this is a possible major cause to the rise in Thyroid disease. You need Iodine and other supplements as part of your regular daily dietary intake.

Sincerely,
Julie-SunnyAZ

Thyroid Info
Julie:

thank you. I will look into the supplements. I realize what my mother and all thyroid cancer patients go through. Having thyroid cancer does not scare me nearly as much as having to take medication the rest of my life. This forum is a great resource and i am thankful to be able to come here and talk to other people who have been through surgery and have good and useful information.

Many thanks,
Matina

CherylMike

matina said:

Thyroid Info
Julie:

thank you. I will look into the supplements. I realize what my mother and all thyroid cancer patients go through. Having thyroid cancer does not scare me nearly as much as having to take medication the rest of my life. This forum is a great resource and i am thankful to be able to come here and talk to other people who have been through surgery and have good and useful information.

Many thanks,
Matina

My Fine Needle Biopsy (was benign) was wrong
Matina~ I had a hoarse voice, which cause me to be sent to an ENT. It turned out that my left vocal cord is paralyzed. Further testing found a nodule on the left side of my thyroid. The FNA came back benign. Because the nodule was calcified, my vocal cord was paralyzed and my age (turning 50 in a couple of weeks) the surgeon wanted to remove the left side of my thyroid. I went for a second opinion. This doctor agreed with my original ENT. During surgery, the frozen pathalogy showed the nodule was papillary cancer. The doctor removed my entire thyroid. A second nodule (which was larger than the first) was discovered on the right side and was also cancerous. I am glad that I listened to my doctor's advise. The cancer was encapsulated and my prognosis is good. I did test positive for the B-RAF gene and will need to be closely monitored for the rest of my life, but I have a life. (MY husband died from head and neck cancer on 10-31-09). Taking a pill for the rest of my life is ok. (I take high blood pressure and chlosteral medicine everyday) I think the tricky part is getting the dosage that will work with your body. I am one month out of RAI and am very tired and always hungry. I had blood work done and am waiting for the results to see if my dosage needs to be corrected. I know that I will need to keep an eye on this for the rest of my life, but am very thankful that I have a life to live. I am glad that you are following up with your doctor. If you are uncomfortable with his advise, you should think about getting a second opinion. The important thing is to stay on top of your care. You are the best advocate for your health and healthcare. Take care~Cheryl

sunnyaz

CherylMike said:

My Fine Needle Biopsy (was benign) was wrong
Matina~ I had a hoarse voice, which cause me to be sent to an ENT. It turned out that my left vocal cord is paralyzed. Further testing found a nodule on the left side of my thyroid. The FNA came back benign. Because the nodule was calcified, my vocal cord was paralyzed and my age (turning 50 in a couple of weeks) the surgeon wanted to remove the left side of my thyroid. I went for a second opinion. This doctor agreed with my original ENT. During surgery, the frozen pathalogy showed the nodule was papillary cancer. The doctor removed my entire thyroid. A second nodule (which was larger than the first) was discovered on the right side and was also cancerous. I am glad that I listened to my doctor's advise. The cancer was encapsulated and my prognosis is good. I did test positive for the B-RAF gene and will need to be closely monitored for the rest of my life, but I have a life. (MY husband died from head and neck cancer on 10-31-09). Taking a pill for the rest of my life is ok. (I take high blood pressure and chlosteral medicine everyday) I think the tricky part is getting the dosage that will work with your body. I am one month out of RAI and am very tired and always hungry. I had blood work done and am waiting for the results to see if my dosage needs to be corrected. I know that I will need to keep an eye on this for the rest of my life, but am very thankful that I have a life to live. I am glad that you are following up with your doctor. If you are uncomfortable with his advise, you should think about getting a second opinion. The important thing is to stay on top of your care. You are the best advocate for your health and healthcare. Take care~Cheryl

Wrong FNA's
Hi Cheryl and Matina,

I do remember that is was you Cheryl that had the negative FNA with positive pathology after your TT. Hard to believe this can happen but it does. I too am B-RAF positive and will have to monitored the rest of my life. Getting ready to do RAI again in February at double the dose of my first. Right now I am clean of cancer (redo of neck dissection on December 17) with a non detectable Tg level, so I am grateful to God and for excellent doctors. I too am happy to still be alive to be able raise my teenage daughter. I must finish raising her and outlive my mother. She would be devastated to loose a child before her. She is 73 with MS and some dementia. I am her mom now as Power of Attorney in all aspects. So in essence I am raising my daughter and my mother.

One pill a day isn't so bad Matina. It does suck to have to do it and I really miss my Thyroid but this is what I have and this is what I have to deal with.

Julie-SunnyAZ