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8 months Post Thyroidectomy/Neck Dissection new biopsy
Hi All,
I'm new here. I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer in Oct 2024. They removed the nodule, did a complete thyroidectomy and a neck dissection. Surgeon removed 16 lymph nodes on the left side of my neck and one was malignant. And removed multiple other lymph nodes in the center and 4 were malignant. I'm either stage 1N or 2.
I did two post surgical appointments with the surgeon who did ultrasounds and said everything looked great (and I'm healing well).
I saw the endo this week and he said he wanted to do a biopsy because the PET that was taken 4 months post surgery showed another lymph node in the center of my neck that was lit up. During the biopsy he said it wasn't clear if the lymph node from the PET scan taken in March was the same one but to be safe biopsied it--I'm waiting for the results. It's a little confusing because the surgeon saw me after that PET scan was done and said everything looked great.
The endo said that in the event it's cancer, we'd first do RAI--which I was scheduled to do in any case in a few weeks.
In your experience, if there's a post-surgical lymph node that's cancer, does RAI get rid of the cancer? Thanks.
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My daughter went through almost the exact same thing you’re going through. She’s 37yrs old. I believe from what she said the RAI identifies the cancer. She was on a non- iodine diet prior to that so the radioactive iodine could “light up” the cancer, if I understood her right. Best of luck to you 🙏
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1 ReactionThank you so much! And did the RAI kill the cancer? I'm hoping that in the event it is cancer, between the biopsy and removal of the cancerous lymph node and the RAI follow-up, I'll be ok. I was told by my endo that the RAI kills any cancer that's left behind post surgery.
Hope your daughter is doing well! And thanks again. 🙂
I’m not sure about the RAI killing the cancer but it definitely identifies it I was told. I was told the cancer feeds off the iodine in the body so with the RAI being radioactive that should be right. My daughter had to have a second surgery to remove another lymph node and nodules they missed the first time when they did the Thyroidectomy. Another scar from ear to ear. Best of luck to you and hope all goes well !!!