i will add here, that i did read that some people felt that there was a link between RAI treatment and the possibility of developing breast cancer. my" go to" thyroid cancer book, thyroid cancer, by m. sara rosenthal said that there was no proof that RAI treatment would cause breast cancer. the author, a thyroid cancer survivor herself, felt that it was better to treat the thyroid cancer that you have, and be diligent about having regular mammograms. that is the path that i took- to treat my thyroid cancer aggressively, and to be completely honest, i would have the RAI again. my thyroid/parathyroid cancer was stage 3 and i had an aggressive area of follicular variant in addition to papillary thyroid cancer. i have since heard people argue back and forth on this possible link, but there is no evidence that i have found yet, anyway, that would definitively answer this question. my best advice, which is good advice for any woman if you have had thyroid cancer or not , is to have regular mammograms and do monthly self breast checks.
it was when i was undergoing chemotherapy for breast cancer, that i found this statistic: according to the american cancer society, cancer survivors can have a recurrence of their original cancer, but also are at risk ( the general consensus is 30%) of developing a new, unrelated cancer. this cancer is called a second primary cancer. to quote the american cancer society, " no matter what type of cancer you have had, it is still possible to get another new cancer, even after surviving the first." if you are a thyroid cancer survivor, it is possible to get any type of a second primary cancer, but these cancers have an increased risk for thyroid cancer survivors. they include:
* breast cancer- in women
* prostate cancer
* kidney cancer
* adrenal cancer
there is also an increased risk of stomach cancer, acute lymphocytic leukemia, and salivary gland cancer if you have been treated with RAI. since i have had a history of salivary stones after my RAI dose, i am paying particular attention to my salivary glands. i have had some swelling in my parotid salivary glands that i will be getting checked out. and yes, i would still have had the RAI treatment. it is an individual decision, made by each patient and their physician, but i still feel that it was the best choice for me.
i have had some people ask me where i read about the 30% increased risk of having thyroid cancer and then a second primary cancer. once source that cites this statistic is an article in cancer epidemiology, biomarkers and prevention. i have seen higher percentages and lower percentages, but 30% seems to be the most common percentage that i have seen, at least so far. this article in cancer epidemiology, biomarkers and prevention, goes on to say that a breast cancer survivor was 1.55 times more likely to develop thyroid cancer than a person with no history of breast cancer. the article also states that a woman who had had thyroid cancer was 1.18 times more likely to develop breast cancer than one with no history of thyroid cancer.
WHY?? the article mentioned above stated that there are several possible explanations. for one thing, a cancer patient is more likely to go for check ups, thus other cancers could possibly be detected earlier than in a person who has not had cancer. there could also be a common hormonal risk factor for both diseases- and those hormones are estrogen and thyroid stimulating hormones. this article states that use of RAI may have a very small impact on the development of other cancers, but the risk remains unclear. i was hoping for a definitive answer on this, but there does not seem to be one. again, when making the decision to have RAI or not, it is best to discuss the patient's best treatment based on staging, if the thyroid cancer has spread, how aggressive ( type) the cancer is, among other things. one needs to have a strong relationship with one's physician in order to come to the best decision as far as treatment and possible outcome.
my blog today is not intended to spread fear and mayhem. it is purely to inform others of the importance of regular screening tests, especially mammograms, if one is a thyroid cancer survivor. and thyroid screening tests if one is a breast cancer survivor. i have always thought that knowledge is power. how we use that knowledge is not only beneficial to our physical health, but helps our state of mind. knowing that we, as thyroid or breast cancer survivors, have made the best decisions that we can for ourselves should make us all sleep better at night. a cancer patient should be their own best patient advocate. read articles. be informed, keep copies of your tests and doctor visits. be informed. you be the boss of cancer, do not let cancer be the boss of you.
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