"Should I Avoid a Biopsy for Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis?"

Alternative Treatments for Thyroid Cancer Prior to Biopsy

If one wishes to avoid a thyroid biopsy for thyroid cancer, alternative treatments such as surgery, radioactive iodine therapy, immunotherapy, and endocrine therapy can be considered first to reduce the size of the lesion before proceeding with a thyroid biopsy. Thyroid cancer often presents asymptomatically with a potential for cervical lymph node metastasis, and many cases are discovered during routine physical examinations.

1. Surgical Treatment: If a biopsy is undesirable, surgical intervention can be the initial choice. Depending on the pathological stage, options include total thyroidectomy, subtotal thyroidectomy, microwave ablation, and endoscopic thyroidectomy for thyroid cancer. Post-surgery, lifelong administration of levothyroxine sodium tablets is necessary to prevent hypothyroidism and suppress thyrotropin.

For patients who are not suitable for surgery, radioactive iodine therapy can be initiated.

2. Radioactive Iodine Therapy: This treatment option targets residual thyroid tissue cells, preventing further cancer cell proliferation, dissemination, and metastasis.

3. Immunotherapy: Immunotherapy for thyroid cancer stimulates and modulates the body's own antibodies to eradicate residual thyroid tissue cells, restoring normal thyroid function.

4. Endocrine Therapy: Thyroxine inhibits TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) secretion, thereby suppressing the proliferation of thyroid cells and reducing the recurrence and metastasis rates post-thyroid cancer surgery. Primarily, levothyroxine sodium tablets are administered orally, commencing at the third, sixth, and eighth weeks after surgery. In addition to surgery and radioactive iodine therapy, some patients may also be prescribed endocrine therapy medications such as anastrozole and letrozole under medical supervision to reduce the risk of recurrence.