7
Surgery
• e only opportunity to completely cure ATC is with the
successful removal of all tumor(s) during surgery. For this
reason, if you are a candidate, surgery is usually the best initial
course of action.
• Not all patients are candidates for surgery, such as those with
Stage IVC disease or those with other conditions that may
make surgery too risky.
• Surgery will involve removing the thyroid. is surgery is
called a thyroidectomy.
• Nearby lymph nodes may also be removed during surgery if
they are known or suspected to contain cancer.
• If surgery is not an option, do not lose hope. Some patients
start with other treatment options, and receive surgery later on
once the tumors are reduced in size.
Radiation Therapy
• If you are not a candidate for surgery, if your surgery failed to
remove all of the tumors, and/or if your tumors do not contain
genetic mutations, radiation therapy is oen the next step.
• Radiation therapy may be offered by itself, or alongside
chemotherapy.
• External beam radiation directs precisely focused X-rays to
areas that need to be treated – oen the tumor itself or cancer
that has spread to bones or other organs. e procedure aims
to kill or slow the cancer without injuring the healthy nearby
muscle and tissue.
• e goal of both radiation therapy and systemic therapy is to
halt or reverse tumor growth to extend overall survival time,
and in the scenario for those with Stage IVB, allow for surgery
later to remove the tumor(s).
