Thyroid cancer with radio iodine uptake in lung

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Good afternoon,

My husband (aged 42 - no comorbidities) was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer in December where he had a total thyroidectomy and right neck dissection, he then went on to have radio iodine ablation therapy at the end of March. He had his post treatment follow up appointment by telephone where he was advised that there is uptake in his lungs. He did have a staging CT chest pre treatment which noted nodules in the lungs but suggested follow up in 3 months.

We are concerned that this means he has lung metastases and what the next treatment options will be, are lung mets treatable in thyroid cancer or is this something he will have to live with?

As I am sure you hear all the time, we are really worried and scared.

Thank you for your help

Jess

Amy C- Macmillan over 3 years ago

Hi Jess,

Welcome to our online community. I can appreciate how worried and scared you both must be, so I’m glad you’ve reached out to us today.

The uncertainty can be difficult to cope with and causes a huge range of different emotions.

It’s hard for me to say exactly what this means for your husband, as we don’t have access to NHS medical records.

When doctors talk about uptake, it means that certain cells look more active on the scan. Cancer is one of the causes of this, as well as things like inflammation or infection. If the cause is unclear, it is common to repeat the scan in 3 months, this allows them to compare any changes and decide if further tests are needed.

I would encourage your husband to give his consultant a call back, via the secretary, and ask if they can clarify what was meant by this and are they concerned it could be lung metastasis or could it be something else, like inflammation/ infection?

Supporting a loved one with cancer can be physically and emotionally challenging and can change the whole dynamic of the relationship. It is important to make sure you look after yourself too.

Sometimes it can help to chat through what’s going on over the phone. You are more than welcome to give our support line a call and speak to one of our nurses if you think that would help. Otherwise, please don’t hesitate to get back in touch if you have any more questions.

Best wishes,

Amy C, Cancer Information Nurse Specialist

You can also speak with the Macmillan Support Line team of experts. Phone free on 0808 808 0000 (7 days a week, 8am-8pm) or send us an email.

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Thyroid cancer with radio iodine uptake in lung