Thyroid and Parathyroid Cancer

Most patients who come to Roswell Park for treatment can home the day after thyroid surgery – within 24 hours – and return to normal, non-strenuous activity within a week or less.

Parathyroid cancer is rarer than thyroid cancer and more difficult to treat. Radiation exposure (including radiation treatments to the head and neck) and long-term use of the drug lithium are risk factors for parathyroid cancer.

For the treatment of hyperthyroidism, Roswell Park physicians team up with your endocrinologist to create a treatment plan that works best for you. Patients who have hyperthyroidism treatment will have an excellent chance of returning to good health, free of thyroid-related symptoms.

Effective surgery to cure hyperparathyroidism depends on the surgeon’s ability to locate and remove the abnormal parathyroid gland. Our advanced, state-of-the-art imaging with 4-dimensional CT scans shows the precise location of the abnormal parathyroid gland, helping to ensure that the surgery is successful the first time.

Because it can be difficult to tell the difference between benign thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer, it’s important to have your case reviewed by pathologists who have substantial experience in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer.