The standardized treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer is primarily surgical, and the postoperative follow-up treatment plan is determined by the tumor stage and risk of recurrence, and consists of three main components:
- Surgical resection of the primary site and potentially resectable metastatic lesions.
- A subset of patients require radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy to destroy residual thyroid tissue after surgery and occult or inoperable metastatic lesions.
- Most patients need to take thyroid hormones for life to replenish thyroxine and inhibit tumor recurrence and growth.
Co-written by Dr. Kai Guo, Cancer Hospital of Fudan University