Follicular thyroid cancer

The fact that this was an incidental finding is quite encouraging... hmm... a follicular tumor? It remains to be seen whether we are looking at an adenoma or a carcinoma.
Assuming it is indeed a carcinoma, a biopsy will be necessary for confirmation, as cytological analysis alone isn't enough. Furthermore, if it is thyroid cancer, we need to determine if it's a minimally invasive type or a widely invasive one. Both types carry a risk of hematogenous spread, which means removing local lymph nodes is often targeted (you might ask your doctor about the sentinel node biopsy method)
The prognosis is favorable for both types, though naturally better for the minimally invasive variety. Since yours was found incidentally—meaning relatively early—that is quite encouraging...

Man, oh man... I don't know if Sam Hall15 is actually pre-med or something, but we haven't seen an answer this textbook-perfect on the health boards in forever 🙏
"To confirm, a biopsy is required because cytological analysis isn't enough" — wow, just wow! 🤣

Well, what else could I say? I suppose I did... 😁

ugh, hey there, buddy 😍
seriously though, don't let it throw you off center reading all these posts claiming you can cure every single type of cancer just by eating some burnt soup 🙄
I mean, sure, maybe it works for some people—but honestly, reading through everyone else's "personal experiences" and unsolicited advice, you end up "learning" way more than what our doctors at the Mayo Clinic ever bothered to tell us. 😁

Zachary Thompson9 said:Look, friend, 😍
just don't let yourself get thrown off balance by reading posts claiming you can cure specific types of cancer with nothing more than some burnt soup. 🙄
Even if someone thinks they can, listening to random people's anecdotes and unsolicited advice might make you think you've "learned" more than what we were actually taught at the Mayo Clinic. 😁

🤣 Seriously, burnt soup! 🤣 👏

It is comforting to realize I am not navigating this harsh world by myself......🙄

Hello everyone, I’m currently in Chicago and just finished an ultrasound of my thyroid. The results show no new suspicious nodules beyond what was already identified through previous ultrasounds, scintigraphy, and biopsies—specifically, there's a 5x3x3 cm nodule on the left lobe and a 5 mm one on the right. Following this, I visited MD Anderson Cancer Center for a consultation with Dr. Ante Škorić, who has scheduled me for surgery later this month. I would truly appreciate it if the members of this group could share any personal experiences they might have, whether regarding the surgical process itself or working with Dr. Ante Škorić. Thank you very much.

Robin Sanchez32 said:I was diagnosed with a follicular thyroid tumor following an ultrasound and a biopsy. I had my consultation at the Mayo Clinic in the ENT department, and they've scheduled me for surgery in mid-November. Given everything I've "learned" about this specific diagnosis, I am terrified that the tumor might progress during this six-month wait, making it "too late." I am incredibly worried and feeling quite depressed. If anyone can offer some guidance based on their own experiences (unfortunately) or provide professional insight regarding my situation, I would truly appreciate it. Thank you.

I actually underwent surgery for a follicular tumor at the MD Anderson Cancer Center just a few months ago. I had been dealing with it for about ten years. Generally speaking, these types of tumors—even if they turn out to be cancerous—don't typically metastasize. Try to stay calm; everything should turn out fine. If you have any specific questions about the details, feel free to ask me here or send me a private message.

neonmason82 said:Greetings, everyone. I had an ultrasound of my neck done today here in Chicago, and the results show no new suspicious nodules beyond what was previously identified through ultrasound, scintigraphy, and biopsy. Specifically, there is a 5x3x3 cm nodule on the left lobe and a 5 mm one on the right. Following this, I went to the MD Anderson Cancer Center for a consultation with Dr. Ante Škorić, who has already scheduled my surgery for later this month. I would truly appreciate it if the members of this group could share their experiences regarding the procedure itself or their time with the doctor. Thank you very much.

I believe you likely mean Dr. Ante škare. If he is indeed the surgeon you are seeing, I cannot recommend him highly enough—both as a physician and as a person. Honestly, I haven't encountered many doctors quite like him; he is incredibly warm and meticulous. We have even stayed in touch since my procedure.
As for the surgery itself, provided you don't have any underlying issues with your heart, lungs, or other risk factors related to general anesthesia, this is a routine procedure that they perform at that facility every single day. One thing that stands out about that hospital is how efficiently they handle recovery; they tend to discharge patients quite quickly once everything looks good. Best of luck to you.

I really appreciate the responses from silentnomad23. It turns out I did indeed get the name of my surgeon wrong in my previous post. Since I’ve only just joined this forum recently, I’m still getting a feel for how everything works here. I have quite a few questions brewing, so once I figure out the ropes and get settled in, I’ll try to post them. If you all wouldn't mind sharing your insights then, I would be very grateful for your help.

Please, don't hesitate to ask anything at all. I’ve actually spent quite a bit of time researching this specific condition myself; I found that having concrete information was much better for my peace of mind than just sitting around fearing the unknown. The details of my own surgery and the entire recovery process are still very fresh in my mind. Thankfully, only a very, very small percentage of thyroid cancers are truly aggressive—those types, like anaplastic carcinoma, mostly tend to appear in older patients.
Fortunately, yours is classified as follicular. From what I’ve gathered, it’s difficult to distinguish between a follicular adenoma (which is benign) and a follicular carcinoma through a simple needle biopsy alone. That is precisely why doctors recommend the surgery; even if it turns out to be a benign adenoma, there is always the possibility of it becoming malignant as time goes on.

I’ve touched on this before, so I’m just going to paste my own experience here. Maybe it’ll be useful for someone:

Looking through all the options listed, I didn't see my specific diagnosis anywhere. Perhaps it was a toxic solitary adenoma...
So, here is what happened to me. I’m 69 now. Back when I was 34, they diagnosed me with a toxic adenoma via nuclear scan. Since an adenoma is essentially a tumor of the glandular tissue, there wasn't really much of a debate about it. Or rather, one endocrinologist over at the Mayo Clinic tried to push a bunch of medications on me—everything from heavy sedatives to various pills—even though my hormone levels were perfectly within the normal range. So, I went looking for a second opinion at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and their verdict was clear: get the tumor out. Get that toxic mass removed immediately before it wreaks havoc on your heart, your mental state, or your nerves. My symptoms were purely mechanical: a lump in my throat, swallowing issues, and tachycardia.
I had the surgery, and everything turned out fine.
Fifteen years later, at age 49, I went in for a routine checkup and found another nodule on the same side. Actually, there were two. One was "hot" (which they said was benign) and the other was "cold"—and apparently, those are the ones prone to turning into carcinoma. This time, the endocrinologist sent me straight to surgery, likely because of that cold nodule. The surgeon gave me quite a look when he realized he had to cut into me again, but honestly, this second procedure went even smoother. My recovery was lightning fast. Ever since then, I’ve been taking 50 mcg of Euthyrox daily to supplement because they left behind a tiny fragment of tissue—just enough to keep things functioning, but unfortunately just enough that it might "pop up" a third time! Surely that won't happen, right? I get my hormones checked once a year, I feel fine, and I'm actually heading in for a nuclear scan at the end of the month for the first time in ages. I’m only doing it because an internist tore me apart during a random checkup for not having been monitored in twenty years. But why would I bother if I feel perfectly healthy?
The bottom line is this: in my experience, if surgery is on the table—and not every nodule requires it—you should absolutely go in and get that "devil" removed before it destroys your heart, your nerves, or whatever else it can reach.

Hello everyone. I want to express my gratitude to silentnomad23 and Bakica for sharing their personal experiences regarding thyroid diagnoses. Reading your stories is incredibly helpful for me, especially since, until December 19, 2006, I didn't really understand much about the thyroid beyond knowing it was somewhere in the neck and generally considered a "woman's issue." Everything changed when a routine CT scan of my cervical spine—ordered after a car accident—unexpectedly revealed that I have a thyroid issue too. It turns out these problems don't discriminate based on gender. As I mentioned previously, I had blood work done about twenty days ago showing my hormone levels were within the normal range, but the ultrasound and scintigraphy told a different story. They found what they call a "cold nodule": one measuring 5 cm on the left lobe and another at 5 mm on the right. A biopsy indicated a follicular tumor. Fortunately, an ultrasound performed at the nuclear medicine department in NYC showed no other suspicious nodules. Consequently, I have surgery scheduled for January 24, 2007, with Dr. Škaro. To be honest, I never experienced any symptoms that would suggest anything was wrong. I stay active with sports, I don't drink or smoke, and I try to maintain a pretty decent diet. I truly thought I’d be cruising toward a healthy old age, but clearly, life had other plans.
I would be very grateful if you could share your own experiences regarding the surgery itself. Specifically, how many days is a typical hospital stay following the procedure, how soon can one realistically return to work, and are there any significant post-operative complications or specific things I should be watching out for?
Thank you all for your responses.

I assume they are only going to remove that larger node in the left lobe to avoid disturbing the right side of the thyroid. If that works, there is a good chance the remaining half will pick up the slack for the whole gland, which means you might avoid lifelong hormone replacement therapy altogether. Of course, if that doesn't happen, you'll just need to take synthetic hormones to replace what the thyroid normally produces. I actually have my own hormone checkup coming up soon, but I am feeling quite confident that everything is fine; I haven't had any symptoms, and since only a tiny portion of my thyroid—the part where the tumor was attached—was removed, I feel optimistic. Regarding the scar, Dr. Škaro was incredibly attentive to the aesthetic side of things, so I expect it will be barely visible in a few months. They perform a specific type of internal suturing at the Mayo Clinic; honestly, it was the first time I had ever seen that kind of technique.
As for the surgery itself, the timeline was pretty efficient: I went in for my pre-op tests on Wednesday, had the procedure on Thursday, had my drain removed on Friday, and was back home by Monday. My recovery was remarkably fast, with one exception: my right vocal cord felt quite stiff immediately after surgery. It seems like my body reacted with some swelling and stiffness about a day or two post-op, resulting in a temporary right vocal cord paresis that lasted for about two months. This meant my voice was significantly hoarse for a little while, but thankfully, it has completely returned to normal now.
All in all—and I know this might sound strange—but I actually walk away from the experience with a rather pleasant memory. Granted, waking up from general anesthesia was a bit rough; I felt nauseous and couldn't stand the smell of anything, let alone eat, but I realize that is very subjective. The lady in the bed next to me, who was twice my age, didn't deal with those issues at all.
It isn't just that I am free from symptoms now; I actually feel better overall, both physically and mentally.
Regarding what you mentioned about maintaining a healthy lifestyle... the thyroid regulates so many metabolic and psychological processes, and most thyroid issues are rooted in stress or ionizing radiation. No one can guarantee you'll live to be a hundred, but in my opinion, a lot of it comes down to your mindset.🙂

neonmason82, since you're seeing the exact same doctor who handled both the surgery and the recovery process for silentnomad23, isn't it obvious that if things went smoothly for them, they'll likely go smoothly for you too? Even if they end up taking your entire thyroid instead of just a lobe, the recovery path stays pretty much the same—you'll just be on a slightly higher dose of hormone replacement, take it religiously every morning, and honestly, you'll probably live to be a hundred without missing a beat.🙂
Sure, it’s statistically more common in women, but plenty of guys deal with this as well, so why on earth would you think you'd have it any easier?😬 Just kidding. Definitely check in after the surgery to let us know how it went! Good luck!👍

Hello there. It might sound a bit paradoxical, but I have been eagerly waiting to read through your experiences and insights regarding thyroid issues. Your perspective has been incredibly useful for me—not just practically, but also mentally soothing and encouraging for what lies ahead. This is especially important given that I am only at the very beginning of my own journey dealing with thyroid disease. I don't have much firsthand experience with this condition yet; when I was first diagnosed, I honestly felt like the hammer had dropped. In fact, on the day of my biopsy, I was even spiraling into the worst-case scenarios, mostly due to the size of the nodule and its "cold" status. However, looking at my family history gives me a different lens to view this through. I recently learned that my grandmother passed away back in 1961 from what was believed to be choking/asphyxiation, and a relative of mine in Chicago—who shares my exact genetic makeup—has been struggling with thyroid issues for about 15 years now. That is all I have for the moment, but if I encounter any new developments or lessons along the way, I will be sure to share them. I am also more than happy to answer any questions you might have. Thank you truly for sharing your stories.

Hey everyone, 👋 I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on the odds of a benign thyroid nodule turning malignant? I just had a 2 cm "cold nodule" discovered by chance, and after a biopsy, they confirmed there are no cancerous cells present. They sent me home feeling pretty reassured, telling me to just come back for a follow-up ultrasound in about six months... I haven't been diagnosed with any thyroid dysfunction, and honestly, I can't even feel the nodule itself. What’s your take—does this sound like the right call, or should I be worrying about this in the meantime?