Although thyroid cancer is usually curable with treatment, patients will require lifelong check-ups for recurrent cancer, and they may need to take hormone supplements.
Treatment
Janumet (sitagliptin / metformin) has been marketed in the United States since 2007. Unfortunately, the active drug sitagliptin has been linked to several cases of thyroid cancer in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) adverse event database. Furthermore, other drugs in the same class as Janumet (such as Victoza), have been shown to cause thyroid cancer in rodents.
Janumet thyroid cancer treatments may involve:
- Surgery
- Radiation therapy
- Chemotherapy
- Medications
- Hormone supplements
- Emotional support
- And more
Surgery to Remove Thyroid Cancer
Most people with thyroid cancer are diagnosed and treated before the cancer metastasizes (spreads outside the thyroid gland). In the early stages, surgery is the best option for removing cancerous tissue and preventing metastasis.
Surgeries for Janumet thyroid cancer treatments could include:
- Lobectomy: The thyroid gland is roughly butterfly-shaped, with two symmetrical lobes that wrap around the lower-front of the neck. This surgery removes one lobe of the thyroid gland, but preserves the other so it can continue producing hormones. This can reduce the need for hormone supplements, but there is a risk that thyroid cancer will return in the thyroid gland.
- Thyroidectomy: Removal of the entire thyroid gland.
- Lymphadenectomy: Removal of the lymph nodes in the neck, where thyroid cancer is highly likely to spread.
Radiation Treatment and Chemotherapy for Thyroid Cancer
Janumet thyroid cancer treatments that involve chemotherapy or radiation could include:
- Radioactive iodine: The patient swallows a tablet or a solution that contains radioactive iodine. The thyroid gland absorbs nearly all iodine in the bloodstream, and the radiation kills all cells in the thyroid gland, including both healthy and cancerous tissues.
- External beam radiation therapy: This treatment involves a machine that emits high-energy of radiation directly into cancer cells. It is used as a treatment for highly-aggressive thyroid cancer (such as anaplastic thyroid cancer), but not usually used for thyroid cancer that can be treated with radioactive iodine therapy.
- Chemotherapy: This usually involves intravenous (IV) drug treatment. It may be used in combination with radiation therapy.
Thyroid Cancer Drug Treatment
If the thyroid gland is removed, the patient will be deficient in thyroid hormones. These hormones are necessary to regulate metabolism, calcium levels in the bloodstream, and more. Patients will need to take hormone replacement supplements, such as:
- Levothroid
- Levoxyl
- Synthroid
- Unithroid
- Tirosint
- Levothyroxine
- And more