Radiation Treatments for Thyroid Cancers
Different types of cancer treatment have different goals. Radiation therapy uses radioactive material to target and kill cancer cells.
Radiation therapy can be delivered in two ways for thyroid cancer:
Radioactive Iodine: This is the most common way to deliver radiation therapy. You swallow radioactive iodine. Because thyroid cells take up iodine, the radioactive iodine travels to any thyroid tissue remaining in the body and kills the cancer cells.
External beam radiation: We can also deliver radiation therapy through a machine outside of the body. This is not commonly used for thyroid cancer; however, it may be used for some of the more aggressive cases. External beam radiation therapy does not cause pain, so you won’t feel anything during your treatments, but there can be side effects. It does not make you radioactive. You can safely be around other people, including children.
WHAT TO KNOW TO PREPARE FOR RADIATION THERAPY FOR THYROID CANCERS
1Getting Started In Your Care
2Getting Your Diagnosis
3Planning Your Treatment
4Undergoing Treatment & Follow-Up
Before
During
After
The first appointment with your cancer doctor is an opportunity for you to ask any questions.
In your first visit, you will:
- Discuss treatment options, including whether radioactive iodine or radiation therapy is recommended for you.
- Discuss the exact type, number of treatments, and potential side effects of radiation treatment, if recommended.
- Bring any paperwork and imaging done outside Stanford for your doctor to review.
- Be offered your next appointment for a simulation of your radiation treatment (a scan, in treatment position), if appropriate.
Your first visit is also an important opportunity to tell the doctor and care team about your past medical history and all of the medicines you take – even occasionally. Some prescriptions, vitamins, supplements, and herbal remedies can affect how your body responds to radiation therapy, so it is important to tell your doctor about all of them.
If you and your care team determine external beam radiation treatments are recommended for you, your radiation cancer doctor will schedule you to undergo a simulation. This is a scan done with you placed in the exact position that you will be in during your future radiation treatments.
The scan is used to define the precise location in your body where the cancer is and to help plan your radiation treatment.
Before the day of your simulation
Contact your nurse coordinator or advanced practice provider beforehand if
you:
- Experience pain while lying flat on your back, and you think you may require pain medication for the scan.
- Are allergic to any type of contrast materials or dyes such as gadolinium.
- Have diabetes, in case you may need to refrain from taking certain medications before or after the simulation.
- Are claustrophobic.
- Have any implanted devices, such as a port, cardiac pacemaker, or brain/spinal stimulator, so that you can bring documentation showing the device’s make and brand.
- Have shrapnel or metal shards in your body.
On the day of your simulation:
- Drink lots of water to stay hydrated.
- Wear comfortable clothing that you don’t mind getting ink on.
- Please follow your fasting instructions, if your care team has provided any.
Imaging scans to plan treatment
You will need to have scans done during your simulation to help plan your radiation treatments. Your radiation oncologist may order one or more of the following scans:
- Computed tomography (CT): Uses X-ray technology to produce cross-sectional images
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Uses radio waves and a powerful magnetic field to produce highly detailed images
- Positron emission tomography (PET): Uses a safe, radioactive tracer to detect cancerous cells in your body
At the time you get imaging tests, you will lie down comfortably while the location of your cancer (and your upcoming treatment) is measured. The precise location may be marked on your skin, like a tiny tattoo. It is sometimes called a simulation mark.
To help you lie in the correct position for your upcoming treatment, your care team will make a cushion or mask that is customized to fit only you. These supports ensure that you are in the same position for every treatment.
The frequency and duration of your radiation treatments depends on the type of cancer you have and the type of radiation therapy you need:
- Many people are treated once a day, Monday through Friday, over several weeks. Your schedule depends on your specific diagnosis.
- The duration (total number of treatments) of your radiation therapy can vary, depending on your particular diagnosis and treatment goals. For head and neck cancer, treatments may last up to 7 weeks.
- Most of each session will be spent getting your body into the correct position. The actual radiation treatment lasts just a few minutes. Total treatment time (door-to-door) is typically 30-45 minutes.
- We offer radiation treatment at our cancer centers in both Palo Alto and the South Bay.
No matter what you experience, your care team can help ease the side effects of treatment. At least once a week, your radiation oncology team will meet with you to discuss your progress and any side effects you may have.
After your last radiation treatment, you will meet with a nurse to go over after your visit summary:
- Discuss with your nurse how to care for yourself after your radiation treatment.
- Schedule a follow-up appointment with your radiation oncologist (usually 1-3 months after your final visit).
It’s important that your current doctors—whom you saw before coming to Stanford—are kept in the loop about your treatment at Stanford. We will partner with them to give you the best possible care. We recommend that you:
- Provide us with the contact information for your primary care doctor and any specialists that you are seeing outside Stanford. We can then contact them to keep them updated on your treatment and work.
- Keep in touch with your current doctors to keep them informed about your treatment at Stanford.
Your cancer care doesn’t stop after radiation treatment. Your radiation care team will schedule follow-up appointments to see how you are doing and provide any additional care you may need.
The first appointment with your cancer doctor is an opportunity for you to ask any questions.
In your first visit, you will:
- Discuss treatment options, including whether radioactive iodine or radiation therapy is recommended for you.
- Discuss the exact type, number of treatments, and potential side effects of radiation treatment, if recommended.
- Bring any paperwork and imaging done outside Stanford for your doctor to review.
- Be offered your next appointment for a simulation of your radiation treatment (a scan, in treatment position), if appropriate.
Your first visit is also an important opportunity to tell the doctor and care team about your past medical history and all of the medicines you take – even occasionally. Some prescriptions, vitamins, supplements, and herbal remedies can affect how your body responds to radiation therapy, so it is important to tell your doctor about all of them.
If you and your care team determine external beam radiation treatments are recommended for you, your radiation cancer doctor will schedule you to undergo a simulation. This is a scan done with you placed in the exact position that you will be in during your future radiation treatments.
The scan is used to define the precise location in your body where the cancer is and to help plan your radiation treatment.
Before the day of your simulation
Contact your nurse coordinator or advanced practice provider beforehand if
you:
- Experience pain while lying flat on your back, and you think you may require pain medication for the scan.
- Are allergic to any type of contrast materials or dyes such as gadolinium.
- Have diabetes, in case you may need to refrain from taking certain medications before or after the simulation.
- Are claustrophobic.
- Have any implanted devices, such as a port, cardiac pacemaker, or brain/spinal stimulator, so that you can bring documentation showing the device’s make and brand.
- Have shrapnel or metal shards in your body.
On the day of your simulation:
- Drink lots of water to stay hydrated.
- Wear comfortable clothing that you don’t mind getting ink on.
- Please follow your fasting instructions, if your care team has provided any.
Imaging scans to plan treatment
You will need to have scans done during your simulation to help plan your radiation treatments. Your radiation oncologist may order one or more of the following scans:
- Computed tomography (CT): Uses X-ray technology to produce cross-sectional images
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Uses radio waves and a powerful magnetic field to produce highly detailed images
- Positron emission tomography (PET): Uses a safe, radioactive tracer to detect cancerous cells in your body
At the time you get imaging tests, you will lie down comfortably while the location of your cancer (and your upcoming treatment) is measured. The precise location may be marked on your skin, like a tiny tattoo. It is sometimes called a simulation mark.
To help you lie in the correct position for your upcoming treatment, your care team will make a cushion or mask that is customized to fit only you. These supports ensure that you are in the same position for every treatment.
close Before
The frequency and duration of your radiation treatments depends on the type of cancer you have and the type of radiation therapy you need:
- Many people are treated once a day, Monday through Friday, over several weeks. Your schedule depends on your specific diagnosis.
- The duration (total number of treatments) of your radiation therapy can vary, depending on your particular diagnosis and treatment goals. For head and neck cancer, treatments may last up to 7 weeks.
- Most of each session will be spent getting your body into the correct position. The actual radiation treatment lasts just a few minutes. Total treatment time (door-to-door) is typically 30-45 minutes.
- We offer radiation treatment at our cancer centers in both Palo Alto and the South Bay.
No matter what you experience, your care team can help ease the side effects of treatment. At least once a week, your radiation oncology team will meet with you to discuss your progress and any side effects you may have.
close During
After your last radiation treatment, you will meet with a nurse to go over after your visit summary:
- Discuss with your nurse how to care for yourself after your radiation treatment.
- Schedule a follow-up appointment with your radiation oncologist (usually 1-3 months after your final visit).
It’s important that your current doctors—whom you saw before coming to Stanford—are kept in the loop about your treatment at Stanford. We will partner with them to give you the best possible care. We recommend that you:
- Provide us with the contact information for your primary care doctor and any specialists that you are seeing outside Stanford. We can then contact them to keep them updated on your treatment and work.
- Keep in touch with your current doctors to keep them informed about your treatment at Stanford.
Your cancer care doesn’t stop after radiation treatment. Your radiation care team will schedule follow-up appointments to see how you are doing and provide any additional care you may need.
close After
At the Stanford Cancer Center, we offer health care from multiple medical specialists who come together for your individual treatment. That means your doctors will coordinate your care as you move from one phase to another – including radiation therapy and possibly surgery and/or medical systemic therapy as well.
You will have a care team for each type of treatment you have. Learn more about your care team for radiation therapy in the description below:
Your Doctors
Radiation Oncologist
This specialist physician provides your radiation therapy for cancer. Also called a radiation cancer doctor, he or she has additional specialty training in radiation therapy (called high-energy X-rays) for the treatment of cancers.
In addition to your primary radiation oncologist (also called “the attending physician”) there may also be other doctors-in-training called “fellows” or “residents” who will also be part of your care team.
View All {0} Radiation Oncologists »
Extended Care Team
This team member is trained in radiation treatment planning. He or she works with your radiation cancer doctor to design a radiation treatment plan that best targets the cancer while avoiding nearby healthy tissues.
This person reviews the calculations to help confirm the treatment plan and dose. He or she also ensures that the machines that deliver radiation treatment are working properly.
This person operates the machine, called a linear accelerator or linac, which is used to deliver radiation therapy. The machine directs high-energy X-rays at specific cancer cells in the body, shrinking or removing them.
This health care provider is certified in cancer care and works with your radiation cancer doctor to help with treatment. This provider may recommend medicine or lifestyle changes. They can be a nurse practitioner (NP), physician’s assistant (PA), or clinical nurse specialist (CNS).
Nurse coordinators are specialized registered nurses who provide one-on-one support to guide you through your cancer journey. Nurse coordinators are your contact to help manage your care, from your first appointment through follow-up visits. They assess your needs, answer your questions, make referrals, coordinate appointments, and offer education.
Support Services
PathWell is your connection to personalized support services before, during, and after your treatment. Our teams of doctors, nurses, social workers, spiritual care providers, nutrition experts, financial counselors, and more work with your oncology team to provide comprehensive specialized care to you and to your family.
- 650-498-6000 Ask for the PathWell team
Stanford Health Library
For confidential help with your health care questions, contact the Stanford Health Library. Professional medical librarians and trained volunteers can help you access journals, books, e-books, databases, and videos to learn more about medical conditions, treatment options, and related issues.
- 875 Blake Wilbur, Palo Alto: 1st floor near the cafe, 650-736-1960
- South Bay Cancer Center: 3rd floor lobby, 408-353-0197
Email us your questions: healthlibrary@stanfordhealthcare.org