Did you know you could get the 123 scan but stop and go to surgery ?

MarinMark
MarinMark Member Posts: 148
in Thyroid Cancer #1
I heard that if the diagnostic 123 scan shows quite a few nodes lighting up, you will be asked if want surgery first and the 131 dose won't be given. That was surprising because you'd think that by ultrasound and other studies your docs would know how much tumor is still there.

Have any of you been advised after the 123 scan to stop and get surgery first ? If so, there goes your low iodine diet and thyrogen two vials or withdrawal hypoT.

Had anyone had very small nodes on ultrasound, they lit up, and you decided on surgery and not 131 ? Anyone had small tumor nodes and didn't elect surgery, so you went with 131 ?

Comments

  • nasher
    nasher Member Posts: 505 Member
    #2
    what i was told
    if they find thyorid tissue in parts of the body not expected they will normally remove them prior to RAI-131 so the therapy dose will kill the parts they can not get
  • sunnyaz
    sunnyaz Member Posts: 582
    #3
    nasher said:

    what i was told
    if they find thyorid tissue in parts of the body not expected they will normally remove them prior to RAI-131 so the therapy dose will kill the parts they can not get

    Surgery then RAI
    Wasn't advised to do my second dose of RAI until ALL cancerous nodes were removed. RAI would not kill the nodes, only remaining thyroid tissue and microscopic cells. Nodes don't take up RAI. Had to have the second dose because my first dose didn't kill the nodes that were still there after my second surgery and missed by my idiot first surgeon. They didn't even light up on the scan.
  • MarinMark
    MarinMark Member Posts: 148
    #4
    nasher said:

    what i was told
    if they find thyorid tissue in parts of the body not expected they will normally remove them prior to RAI-131 so the therapy dose will kill the parts they can not get

    Well said
    That is so simply well said. The three hallmarks of treat thyroid cancers, at least the pap and follicular kind, are total thyroidectomy, TSH suppression, and thyroid ablation. Surgery is for the visible or macroscopic disease.

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