Thyroid: Suspicious for Papillary Carcinoma?

One of my friends has a lump on her thyroid that you can see. She had a biopsy 3 years ago and it came back suspicious for papilary carcinoma. The doctors told her that her only option was to remove her WHOLE thyroid - (the tumor is only on her right side) then they would know 100% certain if it was cancer or not. But then that means she would have to take synthroid for the rest of her life and she can't live with that. She also can't live with a scar. She says she'd rather die than have her entire thyroid removed. It's been 3 years, she seems fine, but her hair is getting thinner and thinner, and she's gained about 30 pounds. She says the only way she'd CONSIDER surgery is if they'd only remove the part of her thyroid that has the tumor - but Dr's REFUSE to only remove 1/2. They told her it's all or nothing. So she chose nothing. Does anyone have any suggestions? Even homeopathic answers are appreciated.

PS - She's not overly motivated to take care of this, which bother me and all her friends. She has no fear of death, and actually keeps saying that she's run out of things to do and hopes she doesn't live to be 40-45! Yes, yes, she's in therapy and on anti-depressants. She's not suicidal - she's just "indifferent" about dying. The only way to motivate her healthwise is if her COMFORT is threatened. Meaning: she'll only go to the doctor for something if she's in pain or something is causing her discomfort. She say's the thyoid isn't causing pain or discomfort - so "why should I put myself in pain and discomfort of surgery to remove something that's not bothering me?". Plus - she's VERY irresponsible - remembering to take a pill everyday for the rest of her life - she can't do - it's "too much commitment". She can't even remember to take birth control pills and she's got more motivation to take those than synthroid. (She hates kids and her period - which the pill cures)

I had a swollen nodule in my L Thyroid, that was painless. So I did nothing for 5 years. I was gaining weight even though I was taking Levoxyl every day. My Dr. finally asked me to have an ultrasound w/ biopsy. Turned out to be CA. I only let them remove that side. Needless to say, lab results of that side said the CA had metastasized and I had to get the other side removed within 4 wks of my 1st surgery.Both surgeries were uneventful and my scar is invisable to the eye(got cut open twice too!) I also took radiation so to be certain all was gone. I'm on med's forever. All this happened Nov. 2006-May2007. I've lost 15lbs and never felt or looked better.
Loving and Living Life

i had a goiter, a large lump that ran around most of my neck due to my thyroid not functioning properly. i was given radioactive iodine to kill my thyroid instead of surgery, yes i have to take a pill every day but the alternatives are a lot worse. my sister had her thyroid surgically removed, you do not even see a scar, they follow a crease in your neck and it is not seen. my best friend just died of cancer, it was not in his thyroid, but he kept putting off going to the doctor, now he is gone....please do not put yourself or your family through the trauma of losing you to something that was treatable......

Please see the web pages for more details on Thyroid cancer-Papillary carcinoma and Levothyroxine (generic name) Synthroid (brand name).
The survival rate for papillary thyroid cancer is excellent. More than 95% of adults with such cancer survive at least 10 years. The prognosis is better for patients younger than 40 and for those with smaller tumors.
Complications include:
* Accidental removal of the parathyroid gland, which helps regulate blood calcium levels
* Damage to a nerve that controls the vocal cords
* Spreading of cancer to lymph nodes (rare)
* Spreading of cancer to other sites (metastasis)

If she is gaining weight she does not have cancer. I see many cancer patients, and the tell tale sign is always severe weightLOSS. She might have a thyroid disorder, but I would not think cancer.
I hope she is having it followed up every 6 to 9 mos to make sure it is not changing. If there is a mass rapidly growing that would seem like the only reason to remove the entire thyroid. Thyroid cancer is rare, so it might not even be malignant!
If they do need to take it out, the scars would be bearly noticeable if you could tell at all, and I would recommend that more than radiation therapy.
Good luck with everything, just tell here to keep an eye on it...
Nate RDMS

What a friend to have, I feel bad for you! I had my thyroid removed because of a suspicious biopsy and it turned out to be cancer. (The scar is hardly noticeable and my goodness, who cares about a scar when you could have CANCER growing in you?)

I was told I could have 1/2 of my thyroid removed, but I chose to have the whole thing taken out at once. If they take 1/2 out and it turns out not to be cancer then many times the remainder of your thyroid will "make up" for the missing part and you don't need to take medication. So I would recommend she see another doctor.

Sounds like she may also now be suffering from hypothyroidism, and may need to take synthroid for that. Her weight gain and thinning hair may be symptoms of that. So if taking synthroid is what she fears, she may already need to take it.

She should see another doctor and get a 2nd opinion, some doctors may just remove part of the thyroid, some probably will not because of a malpractice suit. The chance that the cancer returns is much higher if the thyroid is not fully removed.

I had papillary cancer that was found because it spread to my lymph node. My cancer in my thyroid was too small to be detected until it was removed, I went into surgery with a waiver that could remove my thyroid if my lymph node had thyroid cancer in it. I had 2 cancerous nodules both a few millimeters in size, one one each side. It was found 3 1/2 years ago. While I do not feel 100% on medication, I feel much better than I did right before the surgery.

There is a natural thyroid hormone that can be taking instead of synthroid, it is called armour thyroid, it comes from pig's thyroid.