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Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Treatment
Differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) is a type of cancer that affects the thyroid gland. The thyroid makes hormones that help control the body’s metabolism (how the body uses food for energy), growth, heart rate, and energy levels.
DTCs are the most common type of thyroid cancer in children. There are 2 main types of DTC:
- Papillary thyroid cancer: the most common type of DTC. It makes up about 90% (9 in 10) of thyroid cancer cases in children. By the time it is diagnosed, it has often spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- Follicular thyroid cancer: starts in the follicular cells of the thyroid gland. This type of cancer usually stays in the neck area but can spread to the lungs or bones.
Learn more about differentiated thyroid cancer on the Together by St. Jude™ online resource.
Treatment of differentiated thyroid cancer
Treatment for DTC depends on the features of the tumor and if it has spread to other parts of the body. Treatment may include:
- Surgery to remove all or part of the thyroid gland, including any affected lymph nodes
- Radioactive iodine therapy to destroy any remaining cancer cells after surgery
- Thyroid hormone therapy:
- To replace thyroid hormones after the patient has had removal of their thyroid
- To prevent hypothyroidism, which could cause symptoms like fatigue, weight gain, and depression
- To lower the levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). This hormone can encourage remaining thyroid cancer cells to grow. Thyroid hormone therapy helps keep TSH levels low, reducing the risk of cancer returning.
- Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for advanced cancer. These medicines help slow cancer growth by blocking signals that make cancer cells grow and spread.
- Redifferentiation therapy: Some advanced thyroid cancers stop responding to radioactive iodine, which makes treatment less effective. This therapy uses TKIs to help cancer cells absorb iodine again so doctors can use radioactive iodine therapy to better target and destroy them.
- Clinical trials for patients with tumors that have spread to their lungs
Differentiated thyroid cancer clinical trials
St. Jude offers clinical trials and research studies for children, teens, and young adults with DTC and other solid tumors. Learn more about clinical research at St. Jude.
Open clinical trials
Recruiting
Study goal:
To study radioactive iodine and targeted therapy for differentiated thyroid cancer
Age:
Infants to adults
St. Jude provides the highest quality of care for patients with DTC:
- We offer a dedicated team of specialists to meet the needs of children with DTC, including:
- Surgeons, doctors, advanced practice providers and nurses who treat this cancer
- Endocrinology doctors, advanced practice providers and nurses
- Doctors who specialize in pathology (making a diagnosis by looking at tumor tissue under the microscope)
- Experts in radiology and nuclear medicine
- Genetic counselors
- Clinical dietitians
- Child life specialists
- Psychologists
- Researchers and scientists
- We are consistently ranked among the best childhood cancer centers in the nation by US News & World Report.
- At St. Jude, we have created an environment where children can be children and families can be together.
- We lead more clinical trials for childhood cancer than any other hospital in the U.S.
- St. Jude is the only National Cancer Institute–designated Comprehensive Cancer Center just for children. A Comprehensive Cancer Center meets rigorous standards for research to develop new and better approaches to prevent, diagnose, and treat cancer.
- The nurse-to-patient ratio at St. Jude is about 1:3 in hematology and oncology and 1:1 in the Intensive Care Unit.
- Patients may be able to get expert, compassionate care and treatment closer to their homes through the St. Jude Affiliate Program.
Learn more
Seeking treatment at St. Jude
Patients accepted to St. Jude must have a disease we treat and must be referred by a physician or other qualified medical professional. We accept most patients based on their ability to enroll in an open clinical trial.
Contact the Physician / Patient Referral Office
Call: 1-888-226-4343 (toll-free) or 901-595-4055 (local) | Fax: 901-595-4011 | Email: referralinfo@stjude.org | 24-hour pager: 1-800-349-4334