# Residual thyroid tissue after RAI



## kagealy

Has anyone had experience with this that they could share? In Sept. (2011) I had a TT for a follicular variant of papillary cancer (in both lobes). Stage 1, 1 lymph node was checked and had no cancer. I had 104 millicuries of RAI I-131 in November. I started taking Synthroid 125 mg a few days after RAI. I had a full body scan 8 days after the RAI. The scan showed two foci of residual tissue in the mid and right thyroid bed. The endo has me doing blood tests once a month for the next 6 months. Are they just watching my tg levels to see what to do next? If the tg increases, I wonder if I will have to do RAI again? Or another surgery? Anyone have experience with this?


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## Octavia

My post-RAI body scan also showed some residual/leftover thyroid tissue, which the doctor chalked up to "thyroid surgery is not a clean surgery" (meaning that there's almost always some residual tissue left behind) and said that the RAI would continue to kill off those remaining cells over the next 12 months. That was back in May 2011.

In December 2011, I went for a follow-up appointment, and the same doctor (who is a radiation oncologist, not the surgeon who did my surgeries) said there's a 40% to 50% chance I'll need to have RAI again, which we'll know at my 12-month post-RAI scan. He said that 40 to 50% odds are pretty much true across the board. I found this news rather annoying from this particular doc, who shared almost no disease and prognosis information at the beginning, and said "you're not going to go out to the Internet and look for information, are you?" Well, doc, you've told me nothing...so where do you suggest I get information? But I digress.


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## joplin1975

Octavia said:


> My post-RAI body scan also showed some residual/leftover thyroid tissue, which the doctor chalked up to "thyroid surgery is not a clean surgery" (meaning that there's almost always some residual tissue left behind) and said that the RAI would continue to kill off those remaining cells over the next 12 months. That was back in May 2011.
> 
> In December 2011, I went for a follow-up appointment, and the same doctor (who is a radiation oncologist, not the surgeon who did my surgeries) said there's a 40% to 50% chance I'll need to have RAI again, which we'll know at my 12-month post-RAI scan. He said that 40 to 50% odds are pretty much true across the board. I found this news rather annoying from this particular doc, who shared almost no disease and prognosis information at the beginning, and said "you're not going to go out to the Internet and look for information, are you?" Well, doc, you've told me nothing...so where do you suggest I get information? But I digress.


This has been my experience too. My yearly WBS will be in September so I'm a long way off, but I'm told right now to expect another round of RAI (I had the TT in August and 100 millicurries in September).

I don't think surgery is *generally* a standard follow up step. That said, a friend of mine had a TT and RAI about five years ago to remove a cancerous thryoid. She noticed some enlarged nodes and went in to get them checked. A FNA came back with papillary cancer and her doctor is recommending a neck dissection followed by more RAI.


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## Octavia

joplin1975 said:


> I don't think surgery is *generally* a standard follow up step. That said, a friend of mine had a TT and RAI about five years ago to remove a cancerous thryoid. She noticed some enlarged nodes and went in to get them checked. A FNA came back with papillary cancer and her doctor is recommending a neck dissection followed by more RAI.


That is my understanding as well - follow-up treatments would be RAI unless the "new" cancer is significant or for some other reason justifies additional surgery.


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