Treatment of Stage IV Papillary and Follicular Thyroid Cancer (Metastatic)

For information about the treatments listed below, see the Treatment Option Overview section.

When cancer has spread to other places in the body, such as the lungs and bone, treatment usually does not cure the cancer, but can relieve symptoms and improve the quality of life. Treatment of stage IV papillary and follicular thyroid cancer may include the following:

For tumors that take up iodine

• Total thyroidectomy.
• Radioactive iodine therapy.
• Hormone therapy to prevent the body from making thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).

For tumors that do not take up iodine

• Total thyroidectomy.
• Hormone therapy to prevent the body from making thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).
• Targeted therapy with a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (sorafenib or lenvatinib).
• Surgery to remove cancer from areas where it has spread.
• External-beam radiation therapy.
• A clinical trial of chemotherapy.
• A clinical trial of a targeted therapy.
• A clinical trial of immunotherapy.

Use our clinical trial search to find NCI-supported cancer clinical trials that are accepting patients. You can search for trials based on the type of cancer, the age of the patient, and where the trials are being done. General information about clinical trials is also available.