What is hormone therapy for thyroid cancer?
Thyroid hormone therapy is a daily medication that replaces your thyroid hormone after you’ve had a surgery for thyroid cancer (thyroidectomy) to remove your thyroid gland. It also treats some types of thyroid cancer by lowering levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which can help curb the growth of cancer cells. In both cases, the therapy is taken as a pill, often for the rest of your life.
Penn Medicine’s thyroid and parathyroid cancer care specialists have training in all types of treatments for thyroid cancer, including thyroid hormone therapy. As a high-volume thyroid cancer surgery center, we have particular expertise in thyroidectomies and hormone therapy after surgery. We ensure that you’re taking the right amount of hormones to stay healthy over the long term.
How thyroid hormone therapy works
Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck. Thyroid cancer occurs when abnormal thyroid cells grow and spread. Taking a thyroid hormone pill every day can help treat thyroid cancer in a couple of ways. It replaces hormones after a thyroidectomy and helps suppress levels of TSH to lower the chances of cancer returning (recurrence).
If you've had a total thyroidectomy to remove your thyroid gland, your body no longer makes thyroid hormone on its own and you’ll need to replace it with thyroid hormone therapy. In some cases, a partial thyroidectomy may also require thyroid hormone replacement.
TSH, a hormone naturally produced by your pituitary gland, triggers your thyroid to release thyroid hormones that regulate processes like heart rate, metabolism, and temperature. In some cases, TSH can cause cancer cells in the thyroid to grow. Hormone therapy signals your pituitary gland to make less TSH, which can slow thyroid cancer's growth and prevent cancer from returning after treatment.
Who needs thyroid hormone therapy?
When you have thyroid cancer, your doctor may recommend hormone therapy if:
- You’ve had thyroid cancer surgery
- You have a type of thyroid cancer that grows in response to TSH
Side effects of thyroid hormone therapy
Thyroid hormone therapy can cause side effects that may include:
- Irregular or fast heartbeat
- Nervousness
- Sleeplessness
- Weight loss
In some cases, overmedication with thyroid hormone can result in osteoporosis (thinning bones) and irregular heart rate (arrhythmia). Your doctor will regularly monitor your thyroid hormone levels and adjust your thyroid hormone therapy dose to reduce side effects and help you stay healthy.
Tailored hormonal therapy from Penn Medicine
Penn Medicine endocrinologists are experts at diagnosing and treating thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer. We design thyroid hormone therapies that help block hormones that help cancer grow. We also create personalized treatment plans to replace thyroid hormones when the thyroid no longer functions. Our thyroid team has contributed to current treatment guidelines for leading organizations like the American Thyroid Association. You can count on us for thyroid cancer treatment plans that meet your unique needs.
Rated “exceptional” by The National Cancer Institute
Penn Medicine’s Abramson Cancer Center is a world leader in cancer research, patient care, and education. Our status as a national leader in cancer care is reflected in our continuous designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute (NCI) since 1973, one of 7 such centers in the United States. The ACC is also a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, one of a select few cancer centers in the U.S., that are working to promote equitable access to high-quality, advanced cancer care.
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