Talk To Me About Radiation...for Thyroid Carcinoma

[Guest BlueCrab]

Trixie went thru a horrific (HORRIFIC) sudden bleeding episode starting on April 6 that kept her in the emergency hospital for 5 days. There was so much bleeding they couldn't get a handle on the cause for a few days, and we went thru more than one discussion about "we should end this now". Finally got enough of a clear CT scan to see a highly vascular mass in her neck adjacent to one of her thyroids. Surgery performed, she's back to relatively normal and now we're in follow up mode.

 

The biopsy took awhile - there was so much hemorrhage they couldn't determine definitively if it was cancer, but they finally determined it was a hemmorhagic thyroid carcinoma. Again - because there was so much hemorrhage - they can't give a clear determination that they got clear margins on the tumor when they removed it. They fear that there are probably still cancer cells floating around in there, but it's difficult to say for sure.

 

She's 10 years 5 months old and otherwise healthy. The oncology people recommend radiation, but it would be 15 - 18 daily treatments (Mon - Fri) administered under general anesthesia. The only places that offer it are about 1.5hours from home. While I have a very patient set of employers, there's no way I can get two weeks of work time off to take her for radiation. Nor do I really want her to undergo general anesthesia every day for 15 - 18 days. Chemo does not appear to be an option. In the report from the oncology people, "the role of chemotherapy has not been well-established in the treatment of canine thyroid carcinoma".

 

The other option is to do nothing but monthly rechecks and physical exams with bloodwork for the first 3 months then every three months thereafter, plus she should have thoracic xrays performed every three months to screen for metastasis. Prognosis for completely excised tumors is 2-3 years.

 

I'll go talk with the radiation oncologist. It's the least I can do. But while she's been fine under all the general anesthesia she's had since this started, I am seriously disinclined to subject her to daily anesthesia for radiation treatment.

 

So ya'all have any feedback to share? Your experiences with radiation for this type of cancer - versus not? I'd appreciate hearing it! (and to top it all off, we lost her non-grey brother Leyland over this past weekend to kidney failure. If I'd lost them both in one month, I don't know what I would have done...)

[4My2Greys]

I don't have any experience with this, so no advice. I just wanted to let you know that I am sorry for your loss and what you are going through now with Trixie.

[Rickiesmom]

I don't know if it applies to your situation, but look into whether stereotactic radiation is applicable here, and if so, if there is a facility that does it within striking distance. It requires only a small number of treatments, so even with some travel time might be more practical. I am sorry you are going through this.

[tbhounds]

I don't know if it applies to your situation, but look into whether stereotactic radiation is applicable here, and if so, if there is a facility that does it within striking distance. It requires only a small number of treatments, so even with some travel time might be more practical. I am sorry you are going through this.

That was my thought--there is SRT unit in Yonkers, NY and one in NJ--3 treatments is the norm., however, something tells me she may not be a candidate for SRT as this was a very diffuse mass. I can tell you that I gave my girl a metronomic chemo protocol post surgery for a thyroidcarcinoma. It was prescribed by Dr Couto. The cancer never returned-I lost her two years later to another unrelated cancer.

I highly recommend a consult with him.

 

http://www.coutovetconsultants.com

Edited May 15, 2015 by tbhounds

[Guest BlueCrab]

Thanks all. Dr. Couto has the records now and is taking a look for me.

[tbhounds]

 

Thanks all. Dr. Couto has the records now and is taking a look for me.

 

Awesome--tell him Hi from Kate and Shannon's (the Irish hounds) person Tracy ;-) Please let us know what he recommends. Edited May 15, 2015 by tbhounds