This website is a decision aid designed specifically for patients who may have a low-risk thyroid cancer
You can use a decision aid to help you make a decision about your health in consultation with your doctor. This approach is called shared decision making.
The goal of a decision aid is to
1. Provide information about your treatment options
2. Help you think through what is important to you
3. Help you record your thoughts and values (so you can share them with your doctor or others)
A decision aid is not going to make a decision for you.
It is not going to direct you to choose a particular option.
For most people, the next step is to find out more information about the decision that you need to make.
Some more questions you might have before you proceed
Why do I need a decision aid?
If you have a low risk thyroid cancer, there is often a choice about the treatment you have.
Each choice has its own experience, benefits, and potential risks, and it is not clear that one option is definitely better than others.
Your surgeon will provide clear information regarding these options, and may suggest to you a recommended course of action.
However, your preferences are also important.
This decision aid will explain the different options available for your initial treatment, and help you to make an informed decision, along with your surgeon.
What is a low-risk thyroid cancer?
Many thyroid cancers grow slowly, and have a low risk of spreading outside the thyroid gland. Because of this, there is a low chance that they will cause serious harm to a person. Also, this means that there may be a choice of how the cancer is treated.
In general, a low risk thyroid cancer is:
- Small (less than 2-3 cm in size)
- Completely inside the thyroid gland
- Without any signs of spread to local lymph nodes
Does this apply to me?
If you were invited to review the information on this website by your surgeon or endocrinologist, then it means this information is relevant for your care.
If you do not have a low risk thyroid cancer, this decision aid is not relevant for you. This is because for some types of thyroid cancer, it is recommended that the whole thyroid is removed. These cancers are usually larger, and may have spread beyond the thyroid gland. Your surgeon or endocrinologist will have advised you that your condition means the whole thyroid must be removed. If this is your circumstance, the information on this website is not directly relevant to you.
The information here is designed to help you make treatment decisions about your thyroid nodule which could be cancer.
It has been designed to be used after an initial consultation with your surgeon or endocrinologist.
You may already have been given a double-sided paper-based decision aid during your consultation and given feedback on this paper.
The information on this website is of a general nature, and may not exactly apply to your situation. Therefore, it is best viewed as a starting point for a discussion with your surgeon or endocrinologist, who would be able to tailor this information to your specific circumstance.
The information on this website regarding the risks and benefits of various treatment options is not exhaustive. There are many rare complications of any medical procedure. This website provides general information on some common and important risks and benefits to assist you with your decision making process. However, it is essential that you specifically discuss any procedure, its risks, and benefits and how they might apply to you, with your surgeon or endocrinologist.
This information is not intended to form the basis for informed consent and should not be used as such.
Who created this resource?
The information on this website is part of a research study at the University of Newcastle and the Hunter Medical Research Institute. This means that you will be asked to provide feedback on the content of this website and whether it was useful. Your feedback will be used to develop this resource for future patients.
The information on this website has been developed by clinicians working as part of the Hunter New England Thyroid Cancer Multidisciplinary Team, based at John Hunter Hospital, in Newcastle, Australia.
Acknowledgements
The development and initial testing of this project was funded by the Cancer Institute NSW through the NSW Regional Cancer Research Network.
We would like to acknowledge the patients, clinicians and content experts who have graciously given their time and expertise to review and refine the information on this website.
Image credits: Thyroid icons created by Flowicon, Irfansusanto20, sonnycandra, Freepik, Vitaly Gorbachev, iconixar, smashingstocks, lapiyee, Kiranshastry, Ilham Fitrotul Hayat, Backwoods at https://www.flaticon.com and are used with acknowledgement. Original images created using Microsoft Bing Image Creator
