Medications for Thyroid Cancer
Condition InDepth
This article can give you a general idea about each of the medicines listed below. Only the most general side effects are listed. Ask your doctor if you need to take any special precautions. Use medicine as advised by your doctor. If you have questions about use or side effects, contact your doctor.
Hormonal Therapy
The thyroid makes and releases some important hormones. They help the body function. Cancer and its treatment can alter or stop these hormones. Hormone therapy can help to balance the hormones. Some hormones can also help cancer grow. In this case, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) may help thyroid cancer grow. TSH is made by the pituitary gland in the brain. Medicine can help to lower TSH. Medicine may include:
- Levothyroxine—Replaces the loss of thyroid hormones. It can also lower TSH levels to decrease the risk of cancer coming back. It may also stop remaining cancer from growing.
- Liothyronine—Helps to replace thyroid hormones.
- Thyrotropin—Mimics the actions of TSH.
Side Effects of Thyroid Hormone Therapy
It may take time to find the right balance of medicine. The dose may be slowly changed. This is done until the right hormones levels are found in the blood. Thyroid hormone levels will then be checked regularly with blood tests. Some side effects from medicine may be:
- Skin rash
- Increased hair loss
- Nausea, muscle weakness, or headache (thyrotropin)
Too much thyroid hormone can lead to hyperthyroidism, which may cause:
- Skipped, racing, or odd heartbeats
- Chest pain
- Sweating
- Heat intolerance
- Diarrhea
- Belly cramps
- Weight loss
- Nervousness
- Irritability
Too little thyroid hormone can lead to hypothyroidism, which may cause:
- Cold intolerance
- Dry skin
- Dry hair
- Tiredness and sluggishness
- Weight gain
- Muscle or joint pains
Hormonal Therapy
The thyroid makes and releases some important hormones. They help the body function. Cancer and its treatment can alter or stop these hormones. Hormone therapy can help to balance the hormones. Some hormones can also help cancer grow. In this case, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) may help thyroid cancer grow. TSH is made by the pituitary gland in the brain. Medicine can help to lower TSH. Medicine may include:
- Levothyroxine—Replaces the loss of thyroid hormones. It can also lower TSH levels to decrease the risk of cancer coming back. It may also stop remaining cancer from growing.
- Liothyronine—Helps to replace thyroid hormones.
- Thyrotropin—Mimics the actions of TSH.
Side Effects of Thyroid Hormone Therapy
It may take time to find the right balance of medicine. The dose may be slowly changed. This is done until the right hormones levels are found in the blood. Thyroid hormone levels will then be checked regularly with blood tests. Some side effects from medicine may be:
- Skin rash
- Increased hair loss
- Nausea, muscle weakness, or headache (thyrotropin)
Too much thyroid hormone can lead to hyperthyroidism, which may cause:
- Skipped, racing, or odd heartbeats
- Chest pain
- Sweating
- Heat intolerance
- Diarrhea
- Belly cramps
- Weight loss
- Nervousness
- Irritability
Too little thyroid hormone can lead to hypothyroidism, which may cause:
- Cold intolerance
- Dry skin
- Dry hair
- Tiredness and sluggishness
- Weight gain
- Muscle or joint pains
Targeted Therapy
Targeted therapy attacks the support system of cancer cells. For advanced cancer, this therapy may be used with other treatments. It is often given as pills.
Targeted therapy drugs to treat medullary thyroid cancer include:
- Vandetanib
- Cabozantinib
- Motesanib
- Sunitinib
Targeted therapy drugs to treat papillary and follicular thyroid cancers include:
- Sorafenib
- Lenvatinib
Common side effects include:
- Skin rash, redness, or blistering on the palms of the hands and soles of the feet
- Tiredness
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Increased blood pressure
Vemurafenib can treat cancer with the BRAF gene. Treatment with this drug may help slow papillary cancer that has spread. It may prolong life.
References
- Anaplastic thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/anaplastic-thyroid-cancer. Updated June 29, 2018. Accessed December 8, 2018.
- Follicular thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/follicular-thyroid-cancer-21. Accessed April 21, 2022.
- General information about thyroid cancer. National Cancer Institute website. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/thyroid/patient/thyroid-treatment-pdq. Updated August 18, 2017. Accessed December 8, 2018.
- Medullary thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/medullary-thyroid-cancer. Accessed April 21, 2022.
- Papillary thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: https://www.dynamed.com/condition/papillary-thyroid-cancer. Accessed April 21, 2022.
- Targeted therapy for thyroid cancer. American Cancer Society website. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/thyroid-cancer/treating/targeted-therapy.html. Accessed April 21, 2022.
- Thyroid hormone therapy for thyroid cancer. American Cancer Society website. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/thyroid-cancer/treating/thyroid-hormone-therapy.html. Accessed April 21, 2022.
- Treatment option overview. National Cancer Institute website. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/thyroid/patient/thyroid-treatment-pdq#section/_67. Accessed April 21, 2022.
Contributors
- Mohei Abouzied, MD, FACP
(C) Copyright 2022 EBSCO Information Services
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