anything is possible, have you seen a endocronologist?

I doubt it, personally. If you said your biopsy came back "suspicious" or "inconclusive," I would be more likely to say that it could be something else. Saying specifically that it is Papillary Thyroid cancer means that they found cells that look that way. There are 3 (or 4, depending on who you ask) other types of thyroid cancer. Yes, you can have a false-positive, but the tests are imperfect, regardless of the result. Let's say you had another biopsy and it came back negative, you would have no way of knowing which test was right and which was wrong. The second test may just have missed the cancerous part.

Also, do you have any symptoms of TB? Have they done a TB test? Chest x-ray?

I'm guessing your doctor is recommending surgical removal of your thyroid, correct? I know it's scary, but it isn't as bad as it could be. Thyroid cancer is one of the best kinds of cancer to get. The survival rate is really really high when it is caught early and the treatment is effective and safe.

Do some research into the subject. It seriously helped me when I was in your shoes. When I was more informed on the subject, I felt like I could more fully participate in making decisions about my own care and ask questions.

What kind of doctor are you seeing? I know a lot of people recommend endocrinologists, but I think an ENT (ear, nose, and throat) doctor is just as good or better in your case. With most cases of thyroid cancer, the blood tests are normal. Since Endocrinologists aren't surgeons, you would have to see an ENT anyway.

Please feel free to post again with any new developments or if you want more information.

Good luck with everything.

Hi Myra. Yes, we are seeing an endo. It's my wife that has been diagnosed. She was diagnosed 10 months ago, had surgery to take out her thryoid, August had radiation, a lump popped up again in December so another surgery to remove the lymph node column in her left side of neck, then another surgery on her tear duck because apparently radiation closed one of them, and now they ran scans and found more lymph nodes with activity.

It's apparently rare to have thryoid cancer move to the lymph nodes, and even more rare (as your reply above mentioned the success rate) that there would be remaining activity or cancer cells after radiation.

Three surgeries and radiation 10 months later, I'm finding it challenging to believe they are pursuing the correct issue. I did a ton of research on other possibilities and extrapulmonary TB had similar symptoms. But if the report says it's papillary cancer, then I guess it has to be that and we are just having a uniquely bad experience. And my wife's only 30 years old which again is rare for this type of cancer. Thanks for any additional thoughts you can provide. Shane

I was 24 when I was diagnosed with Hurthle Cell Carcinoma, which is a very rare type of thyroid cancer that people over the age of 50 get. Just because it's unlikely, doesn't make it impossible. Actually, thyroid cancer is the most common type of cancer in women under the age of 50 and papillary is the most common type of thyroid cancer.

Yes, you are having a uniquely bad experience. If you feel uncomfortable with the care your wife is getting and that they may not be considering everything, find another doctor that specializes in thyroid issues (like an ENT) or go to a specialty clinic.

How many times has she had radioactive iodine treatment (not the same as "radiation" for other types of cancer)? Did they say why it didn't work? Also, how many times has she had the scans? Did she go on the low-iodine diet or have the (extremely expensive) shots? Has she had a thyroglobulin test? (which is a protein produced by the thyroid glad or any thyroid cell--if it shows up, that means that there are still cells there--studies have shown that testing for those is just as good as the scans).

If she had TB, the lymph nodes would not be absorbing the iodine the way they are, plus she would have other symptoms. Also, taking out the thyroid and examining it is more definitive than a fine needle biopsy before removal.

I'm glad you are doing research into the topic. This will make it easier for you both to ask the doctor questions and make informed decisions.

I know this must be very hard for both of you, especially for it to go on so long and be so unsure about it. Post again if you have more questions or comments.

They cut this out of my post because I cited my source: I read that it is not that uncommon for Papillary Thyroid cancer to move to lymph nodes, it happens in around 50% of cases.