BALTIMORE, June 16 (UPI) -- A new therapy for thyroid cancer may help patients avoid common stresses leading up to post-surgical treatment, U.S. researchers said.
The procedure allows doctors to use a genetically-engineered, thyroid-stimulating hormone to destroy the small amounts of thyroid gland tissue that often remain after surgery.
With this approach, doctors do not need to withhold thyroid hormone medication temporarily, and it also can reduce symptoms of thyroid hormone deficiency, such as fatigue, weight gain, chilliness, slow thinking and depression.
"Recovery from thyroid cancer has been very difficult for patients because thyroid medication -- to replace the thyroid hormone naturally produced by a healthy thyroid gland -- has traditionally been withheld for four to six weeks after surgery," said investigator Dr. Paul Ladenson of the university's division of endocrinology.
The medication is withheld in standard procedures effectively to identify and destroy any glandular tissue that remains after surgery.
The study showed the treatment was equally effective for those who had undergone the procedure and those who had not.
The procedure, known as ablation, also lowers the risk of recurrence in some patients and makes for more accurate testing.
