Dear Dr. SerVaas: A friend of mine has thyroid cancer called Hürthle. I understand this is a rare type of cancer. The doctors treating her are not really familiar with this, and we have been unable to find information concerning this type of cancer. Can you be of any help?
Mary G. Baker
Dear Reader: You are right. Hürthle cell carcinoma (named after a German scientist) is an uncommon type of thyroid cancer. In most cases, doctors are likely to recommend surgery to remove the thyroid--a butterfly-shaped gland located in front of the lower neck area that provides hormones to regulate all vital organs.
Radioactive iodine treatment, external beam radiation therapy, or chemotherapy may also be indicated.
"Hürthle cell cancer has a 25 percent mortality in 25 years," explains Dr. Hossein Gharib, past president of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and co-chair of the AACE Medical Guidelines on the Surgical Management of Thyroid Cancer. "If the disease is localized and surgically removed, patients generally do well."
Thyroid cancer often goes undetected because patients may not experience symptoms. Periodic self-exams can help detect a thyroid nodule or enlarged gland that may require further testing (see "Neck Check" below).
In general, people with a nonfunctioning or surgically removed gland are treated with the synthetic hormone levothyroxine. Left untreated, thyroid cancer can spread to other areas of the body.
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