Treatment Options For Hurthle Cell Cancer

Targeted Drug Therapy

Targeted drug therapy is a treatment used in several types of cancer that work by blocking particular genes or proteins that allow tumors to spread and grow. Even though most cases of Hurthle cell cancer can be effectively treated with the use of surgery and radioactive iodine therapy, some cases may not respond well to those treatment options. Targeted drug therapy utilizes medications to target specific proteins, genes, or the environment that allows cancerous cells to survive and grow. Different types of cancers and tumors have different targets best identified through tests that can be performed on the cancerous cells.

Two main kinds of targeted drug therapy can be used in the treatment of Hurthle cell cancer. Small molecule medicines have the ability to penetrate through the membrane of cancer cells because of their small size, and they destroy the cell from the inside out. Monoclonal antibodies are targeted drugs that attack specific targets on or around the cancerous cells. Targeted drug therapy is usually only used for patients with Hurthle cell cancer that cannot be effectively treated by other methods.

Radioactive Iodine Therapy

Radioactive iodine therapy or radioiodine therapy is a thyroid cancer treatment that works by utilizing the interaction between thyroid cells and an element called iodine. The thyroid gland has a unique property of being able to absorb almost all of the iodine inside of the body. The thyroid cells will collect iodine even if they are not still located in the thyroid. These thyroid cells may be leftover from tumor excision surgery, or they may be cancerous thyroid cells that have spread to other parts of the body.

Radioiodine therapy uses a radioactive form of iodine or RAI that can be swallowed in a capsule. When the capsule dissolves, the radioactive iodine will be delivered to all thyroid cells in the body including the cancerous one. The RAI will then destroy all of the cells that it has been absorbed by with high doses of radiation. The doses of radiation used in this type of therapy are much higher than the doses used in other forms of radiation. Aside from thyroid removal surgery, radioactive iodine therapy is the most common treatment method used in Hurthle cell cancer patients. It is greatly favored due to its minimal effects on the rest of the body.