Is surgery better or just dealing with the tumor?

Hello @devil4ever and welcome to Mayo Connect. It is great that you are seeking more information about your thyroid tumor. I see that you posted in the Neuroendocrine Tumors (NET) support group. Has a biopsy confirmed that this tumor is a neuroendocrine tumor? I ask because it is rare (although not impossible) for a NET to be found in the thyroid.

If this tumor has not been confirmed as a NET, you might want to post your question about your thyroid tumor in the following discussion group: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/thyroid-cancer/. Here you will find many people who have discussed their thyroid surgery and may provide some helpful information for you.

Have you had thyroid problems for a long time?

No I just found out couple months ago

Hi @devil4ever, I have added your question to the Thyroid Cancer support group as well. It is important to be well-informed about the tumor to be able to make your treatment decisions, especially since you are still so young. I'm tagging other members like @koh @littleoreo2021 @hopeful23 @teanna @lbrockme and others who have had thryoid cancer and can share their experiences with surgery and treatment options.

Most people with thyroid cancer are able to have surgery to remove part or all of the thyroid. Some questions I would ask your medical team to help your decision include:
- Are the tumors cancerous or benign nodules?
- What is the best treatment option for my tumor?
- What are the risks and effectiveness of each treatment type?
- What stage is the tumor?
- If it is cancer, has it spread?

@devil4ever, do you know if the tumor is cancerous or not? What diagnostic testing have you had done so far (blood tests, imaging, biopsy, etc.)?

Hi, sorry you are going through this. I was 34 when I was diagnosed with a rare thyroid cancer. I hesitated to have surgery, but after a good discussion with my surgeon, and he shared with me that the chances were high it was cancer from his experience and that even if not it was a tumor needing removal , I opted for surgery. Your thyroid can really affect so much of your other system and health. Surgery was not too difficult and recovery was approximately 6 weeks .
Hoping you do well.

Hi@devil4ever,
In my opinion, sometimes the doctors choice of words can cause you to make decisions in a more panicked mode. The word tumor sounds so much more concerning than nodule. My nodule was very large (5.6 cm) and ended up being Hurthle Cell Carcinoma….I had been told and read that thyroid cancer cannot be diagnosed until surgery. I was being seen to monitor a nodule but didn’t want to have my thyroid removed unless there was a strong chance it was cancer. I was monitored for 10 years but the large nodule was causing problems. I read about a new procedure called Radio frequency Ablation( RFA) for thyroid nodules , where they can shrink the nodule. I went to another hospital to find out if I could be a candidate for the RFA. The doctor did a FNA ( biopsy) and sent the specimen for Affirma testing. I had been going to a cancer hospital, but had never heard of Affirma testing. The doctor informed me that it had about a 95% accuracy rating for determining if a nodule is cancerous. The testing showed that I had a 50% probability for having a Hurthle Cell Carcinoma. Due to that, I was not a candidate to have RFA, so I had surgery and the cancer was confirmed. I had a lobectomy and 1 parathyroid removed.
In my opinion, you might want to clarify the terminology the doctor used…. Is it a tumor or a nodule on your thyroid? If a nodule, you might want to consider having Affirma testing (it’s a regular biopsy that they send the material to the Affirma lab) to help you make a decision. You might also want to consider going for a second opinion from a doctor who specializes in RFA to see if the nodule can be shrunk, so you can keep your thyroid. In my opinion, removing an organ “ in case it’s cancer” is not a good plan…. And getting regulated on Synthroid is not as easy as people think. If it’s low probability of cancer, treatment options to shrink the nodule might enable you to avoid thyroidectomy.
Good luck!

Thank you I'm going to look into that. It just depends on the testing. I know once you get into it it's more painful. I also feel like they just act like something is wrong just so the government can get their money. With in what they been doing anyways over decades.

The FNA (biopsy) isn’t really painful. I had some where they numb the area and some where they did not….I think a bee sting hurts more! The needle they use is very small, which seems to make it less painful.
When I had the first FNA, the doctor recommended removing my thyroid to see if it was cancer. I went to a cancer hospital to get a second opinion because they were not sure it was cancer….I did not want the risk of surgery and the removal of an organ unless absolutely necessary. It’s always concerning to hear possible cancer, but get all the testing you can to get a clear picture of what is going on before you make your decisions.
Good luck.

Thank you

Mine was 2 cm also and I had it taken out. Was not cancer but the surgery is a piece of cake. It will keep growing if you leave it there. I am not on any throid mediciation now either. Good luck!

How can you not be taking thyroid medication. The thyroid has to be replaced with medicine. You are no hypothyrodism.

I had mine taken out and I'm on medication.