Not all thyroid cancers are the same
Dear Dr. Roach: My husband recently died from anaplastic thyroid cancer. I always thought thyroid cancer was one of the most successfully treated cancers that exist. Could you please explain the difference between anaplastic thyroid cancer and regular thyroid cancer?
M.A.S.
Answer: I am very sorry to hear of your husband.
Nearly all organs can have multiple types of cancer. Cancers vary by the cell type they start from and by how closely (or poorly) they resemble their original cell. In the case of thyroid cancers, those that are welldifferentiated have a very good prognosis. Because well-differentiated thyroid cancer cells still behave to some extent like normal thyroid cells, they will take up iodine, a critical element for making thyroid hormone. Radioactive iodine is an effective treatment, and often used after surgery. The radioactive iodine is taken up and concentrated by the cancer cells, which are subsequently killed by the radiation.
Anaplastic thyroid cancers don’t look much like thyroid tissue at all. The cancer cells grow uncontrolled. They are highly resistant to chemotherapy and radiation, and they don’t take up iodine like healthy thyroid cells or well-differentiated thyroid cancers. They spread early to other organs, especially the lungs, but also to the bone, brain or other sites. As such, the mortality rate from anaplastic thyroid cancer approaches 100%.
Fortunately, anaplastic thyroid cancer is rare, only one or two cases per million people per year.
Dear Dr. Roach: I have two frying pans with Teflon coating that show signs of wear. Someone said I should not use them, as they can cause cancer. Can you shed some light on this?
H.C.
Answer: Some research shows this to be a myth. It is true that many nonstick pans were made with a chemical (PFOA) that is carcinogenic. Since 2013, nonstick pans have been made with different chemicals, which do not increase cancer risk.
The flaking of the nonstick material is a different concern, but these particles are not absorbed by the body, and pass through you without interacting.