Receiving a diagnosis of thyroid cancer can be a stressful time for you and your family. It’s not easy to manage treatment along with your job, relationships, and other life priorities. At the Stanford Cancer Center, we’re here to help.
Radiation therapy uses various forms of radioative materials to destroy or prevent the spread of cancer. The goal is to target cancer cells, while minimizing exposure to surrounding healthy cells.
Every cancer is different, even in the early stages. The best treatment for one person might not be the best treatment for another.
Regarding your treatment plan, please keep in mind that:
- It may involve one or more of the three main types of treatment: radiation therapy (including radioactive iodine therapy), surgery, and drug therapy (medications that travel through the bloodstream to attack cancer anywhere in the body).
- Your doctors may prescribe a treatment plan that combines certain treatments.
The combination of treatment types may need to take place in a specific order to best treat your specific condition.
Your health care team will work with you to develop a treatment plan. If that includes radiation therapy, the team will talk to you about your treatment goals and options.
