Radiation for Head and Neck Cancers Often Result in Hypothyroidism

Thanks for the info....
Nobody mentioned the fact that my thryroid was probably going to be destroyed because of having rads to both sides of my neck, until the Rad-nurse talked to me last week. I don't see how I'll have one at the end of the treatment. She said that they'd be watching it close once treatment is done......I hope that comes to pass (so many things are said, I've found......but folks just forget)...

p

Higher...
I believe that more than likely anyone who gets the radiation will have a higher chance of Thyroid damage than 20%.

My TSH and Free T-4 levels (both Thyroid Function Indicators) are monitored closely.

The TSH has been high since the end of radiation. But as of my most recent blood test, it had fallen back into normal ranges.

I'm not sure if it will stay there or not.

They did start me on 25mcg of Synthroid a year or more ago. But I was having a little reaction, so the pulled me off.

Usually once the Thyroid starts going out, it rarely comes back. But it is usually easily treated with synthetic hormones.

JG

osmotar said:

Thyroid
Since I was already hypothyroid and on meds prior to the start of my rads , it will be interesting to see at the end of the month when I have my labs for my regular internist vist what my levels are. so far I haven't noticed any changes.

Linda

"Dog circles"
My pit bull developed a condition called, "RAT tail". Can you tell she is my dog? Anyway, the dog would lose patches of hair all over the body and down the tail giving the appearance of a, "rat tail". After funding the retirement accounts of several veterinarians and tons of blood work, it was finally discovered that she was hypothyroid and is currently on .75mcg synthroid daily. The transformation has been nothing short of a miracle. Whereas before, she slept all day and growled at me, she now is happy go lucky and is always spinning around in circles. I take exactly the same medicine but at 1/3 the dose of the dog. (started at about 1 year post treatment) Had blood work done yesterday (three years post treatment) and my thyroid continues to go south, Doc increased synthroid to .50mcg. I'm hopeful that most of my hair will grow back and I will begin to run in circles around the kitchen table. I've got my eye on the squeaky pig dog toy.

Getting it checked by my med
Getting it checked by my med onc has been sop since day one. So far so good.

Irishgypsie said:

New IMRT!
Hopefully with the new IMRT machines this will happen less!

Charles

My Dr
said 5% chance of thyroid going and maybe cartilage! Just another thing to worry about, huh? I guess without radiation a person could have the same chances....5%???

MarineE5 said:

TSH Bloodwork
Good Reminder francma,

My Radiation Oncologist told me right after I completed my treatments to make sure that I always get a TSH level check whenever I had bloodwork done. He said that it wasn't a matter of if my Thyroid may fail, but more of an issue of when it was going to fail and then get the proper levels of medicine I needed.

His words held true as my Thyroid did last for nearly 5 years, and then my energy levels changed again to a very sluggish level. Had my bloodwork done and sure enough, the TSH was out of wack. On med's now and doing better.

My Best to You and Everyone Here

Levothyroxine
Me too. I'm at 75mcg a day after being treated 8 years ago.

Skiffin16 said:

TSH & Free T4
TSH is one indicator, but also they need to check your Free T4.

My TSH was always high always going higher a little each blood test...slowly going up from 5+ to nearly 7 something..not far above normal, but above.

However my Free T4 stayed within ranges.

My ENT says that hormones are still relatively unstudied to date as for effects on individuals..

Meaning while I have a 7+ TSH with not much symptoms, someone else might have a 4 and have thyroid problems.

BTW, my TSH levels fell back within normal ranges on my last blood test after being high for 3 years.

So hopefully nothing else going on, or it was a fluke...or just maybe they are trending back into range.

But like you Marine, my ENT basically said when it goes, it doesn't usually get better.

Easily treated usually with synthetics.

JG

TSH high
in Nov.11 my TSH level was a 9. I went in because of fatigue and weight gain.I was put on 25mg. By Jan.12 my TSH was 21.964 went to 75mg and barely able to get out of bed much less take care of a house, a 2yro and an 8yro.The weight gain was enormous. Now on 175mg and TSH is down to a 9 and I am very happy. Still extremely fatigued and unable to lose weight.But, we are working on it. It also has made it impossible to go back to my 40+hr job. It is getting a little crazy around here

Yup
My chemo doc has presented the thyroid failure as an eventuality that WILL occur, rather than a mere possibility. So far my levels are OK, but if/when they change for the worse, we'll have to figure out a meds protocol.

Skiffin16 said:

High Probability....But
Krash, while there is a high probablility...I believe much higher than 5% or 20%, there is actually no guarantee that it will go south.

I'm pretty sure, unless I've missed something over the years, that not everyone on here that had radiation as part of treatment have developed thyroid problems.

Mine actually was going south, or I should say north of the 5.0 above normal range. It had been there for nearly three years, slowly creeping up every blood test to above 7.0.

The last blood test that I got in March I believe show it coming back into range at 4.7. Depending on your scale... I think that I've seen some at a high level of 4.5, others at 5.0.

My ENT suggests that the hormones are something that are somewhat still a mystery of their effects on the body.

While someone in the 4+ range might develope signs and symtoms, others in the 10+ range may not.

Best,
John

Thanks
John!

Btw, funny you should clip the "last name" to Krash, I actually get called that in real life all the time, haha.