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Q: What is my prognosis?
A: e prognosis for a person with ATC depends on several
factors, including the patient's age, the size of the tumor(s),
and whether and where the disease has spread outside the
thyroid gland at the time of diagnosis. While ATC is a very
aggressive form of cancer, it is treatable in some cases. A small
group of patients do quite well, and there are even long-term
survivors. It is important to remember that each patient
experience is unique.
Q: How is ATC treated?
A: Treatment typically consists of one or more combinations of
surgery, radiation, chemotherapy and targeted therapy, along
with supportive care. Unlike other thyroid cancers, ATC
does not respond to radioactive iodine therapy or thyroid
stimulating hormone suppression.
Q: What happens aer my initial treatment?
A: Monitoring will be needed on an ongoing basis. is is
to check whether the treatment was effective at slowing,
halting or even reversing the cancer. Monitoring may
include imaging, lab work and regular appointments with
your healthcare team. It's very important to keep these
appointments, even if you believe the cancer is in remission.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
