Thyroid Cancer Drugs

Definition

The thyroid gland can also be affected by cancer: the incidence of thyroid cancer is less relevant than tumors such as those of the ovaries and prostate, and fortunately has a rather low degree of mortality (when compared to liver and pancreatic neoplasms). sometimes thyroid cancer manifests itself in a benign form, not causing damage to the organism; however, being a tumor, it should not be underestimated.

Causes

The presence of a thyroid lump should be alarming, although a lump does not necessarily degenerate into cancer. For the etiological research, no precise cause was identified, only risk factors: familiarity for goiter and genetic predisposition to thyroid disease, exposure to ionizing radiation, adulthood, female sex.

Symptoms

Thyroid cancer does not begin with a defined and precise symptomatology, therefore it is only rarely diagnosed in the initial stage: precisely, we speak of long latency period, understood as the moment between the neoplastic induction and the true prodromal manifestation. In the advanced stage, the tumor can cause: anorexia, altered hunger, difficulty in breathing, increase in weight and size of the thyroid, difficulty in swallowing, formation a hard lump in the neck, loss of appetite, sinking of the lymph nodes in the neck, hoarseness.

Information on Thyroid Cancer - Thyroid Cancer Treatment Drugs is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Thyroid Cancer - Thyroid Cancer Treatment Medications.

Medicines

Only a minimal part of thyroid tumors manifests itself in a violent way: it has been observed, in fact, that this neoplasm, in most of the diagnosed cases, tends to self-resolve and regress, albeit slowly, taking with it all the symptoms.
However, it is necessary to remember that in recent years thyroid tumors seem to have increased: this fact should not be excessively alarming, given that, probably, this increase seems to depend on the improvement of current diagnostic techniques: thyroid ultrasound (which makes use of ultrasound) , scintigraphic and needle-aspirated examination.
As with all diseases, the treatment of thyroid cancer depends on the degree of progress of the disease (therefore on its severity), on the damaged cells and on the patient's state of health.
When the patient has to undergo surgery, in most cases, we proceed with a thyroidectomy, the removal of the thyroid, possibly associated with the excision of the local lymph nodes.

The most immediate side effect derived from thyroidectomy (not from thyroid cancer) is hypothyroidism, easily treatable with hormonal drugs:
Thyroid cancer → thyroidectomy → hypothyroidism → need for hormone therapy:

Levothyroxine sodium (eg Eutirox, Syntroxine, Tiracrin, Tirosint): initially take 12.5-50 mcg of drug per day. The dose may increase by 12.5-25 mcg per day every 2-4 weeks. Consult your doctor.

Following the surgery it is essential to subject the patient to hormonal treatment: the increase in TSH levels - typical immediate consequence of hypothyroidism, given by the removal of the thyroid - could induce the malignant cells possibly present to regenerate; therefore, it is necessary to start hormone-based therapy, at suppressive doses, so that TSH levels remain below normal, and cancer cells are not stimulated to proliferate.

As an alternative to surgery, the patient suffering from thyroid cancer can be treated with radioactive iodine (IODIUM 131): generally taken orally (only rarely is the intravenous route considered), the drug is absorbed from the intestine, passes in the bloodstream and, subsequently, incorporated and absorbed by the thyroid gland. The effect derived from this drug is observable after a few weeks of treatment. The dosage must be determined individually: consult your doctor. In any case, in general, the recommended posology for the ablation of normal thyroid tissue is 1850 MBq; therapeutic maintenance doses, on the other hand, vary from 3,700 to 5,550 MBq, corresponding to 100-150 millicuries.

Notes: the abbreviation “Bq” indicates the Mega-becquerel, corresponding to the unit of measurement of radioactivity, expressed more simply in Mega-Bq.
1 kilo- becquerel = 103 Bq
1 Mega-becquerel = 106 Bq
1 Giga- becquerel = 109 Bq
1 Curie (old unit of measurement of radioactivity) = 37 Giga-becquerel = 37X109 Bq

Thyroid cancer: drugs

The chemotherapy treatment for the treatment of thyroid cancer is reserved exclusively for patients suffering from diffuse thyroid cancer, inoperable and not susceptible to ion therapy.

The following are the classes of anticancer drugs most used in the therapy against thyroid cancer, and some examples of pharmacological specialties; it is up to the doctor to choose the most suitable active ingredient and dosage for the patient, based on the severity of the disease, the state of health of the patient and his response to treatment:

Doxorubicin (eg. Myocet, Caelyx, Adriblastina) the drug is often used in combination with other antineoplastic drugs such as cisplatin (eg. Cisplatin ACC, Platamine, Pronto Platamine). Doxorubicin is generally taken at a variable dosage of 40-60 mg per square meter of body extension, intravenously, for 21-28 days. Alternatively, take 60-75 mg in the same way, for 3 weeks.
Sorafenib (eg.Nexavar): the chemotherapy drug is the most used for the treatment of liver cancer; however, it is sometimes used in therapy to treat thyroid cancer. The dosage should be established by the physician on the basis of the progress of the tumor and the patient's response to treatment.
Vandetanib (eg Zactima): the drug is a tyrosine kinase inhibitor, used in therapy for the treatment of thyroid cancer for inoperable patients, of the local matastic or advanced type. The recommended starting dose is 300 mg to be taken orally, once a day. Thyroid cancer treatment with this drug should be continued until symptoms improve, without too many toxic side effects.