Thyroid Gland

Kimberly Vanderveen, MD is a Colorado native and graduate of Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, CO. She received her bachelor’s degree with honors from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. She then earned her medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL in 2001. In this episode, the following topics are discussed: * Two roads of tests: rule out and malignant markers * Rule-out tests picks up innocent behavior pattern. Most common is Afirma * Malignant markers, or rule-in tests, are useful at determining extent of surgery, and help avoid a second or third surgery. ThyroSeq, ThyraMIR, Rosetta * Do patients get both tests? Rule out and behavior? * Approximately 15% of FNA’s come back indeterminate. Some centers as high as 30% * Managing indeterminate nodules when a patient chooses no surgery. * Taking into account emotional, financial, and lifestyle goals of the patient.

Regarding Thyroid Cancer, Are You a Minimalist or a Maximalist? Often, surgery is not necessary to treat thyroid cancer, but much of the decision will depend on the patient characteristic. During this interview, Dr. Tuttle discusses the following points: Challenges of managing thyroid cancer as outlined by the guidelines Scaling back care for insurance-challenged patients, and adopting a plan that gets the same result without needing the expensive tests Desired outcome is survival and no recurrence, a third is for no harm that would be caused by an unnecessary surgery Unwanted side affects of thyroid cancer include nerve damage, parathyroid damage, and infections