Has anybody had a left thyroidectomy and then had lumps grow back a few months later?

[axlrose80]

I had 3 nodules one was cancerous no treatment needed.but now they are back on the left side got ent on thursday abit worried

[Clutter]

Have the nodules grown back on the left side where you had the hemithyroidectomy or have they appeared on the right lobe?

[axlrose80]

Still on the left side

[Clutter in reply to axlrose80]

It's difficult to remove all cells from the thyroid bed during surgery so it is possible to have regrowth. I'm a little surprised that completion thyroidectomy wasn't done although that wouldn't prevent regrowth without radioactive iodine ablation which isn't automatically done now for low risk ie very small papillary cancer tumours and people under 40.

Have you had a thyroglobulin and thyroglobulin antibodies test post hemithyroidectomy? These are used as cancer markers to check for recurrence and usually done twice a year.

Try not to worry unduly before your ENT consult, pap cancers are very slow growing so it's unlikely to be cancer again and more likely cell regrowth. I would ask for a referral to an endocrinologist to monitor you in future though.