Thyroid Cancer

by **ronni** » Wed Mar 18, 2009 5:10 pm

Hello everyone,

My medical saga unfortunately continues on and on...it's amazing how healthy I was pre-statins! I was wondering if anyone has any information about statin damage and thyroid cancer. I was just diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer and must undergo a thyroidectomy next month. I firmly believe statins had a role in triggering my hypothyroidism but I haven't read anything anywhere about a connection with cancer. Any thoughts?

by **Allen1** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 5:04 am

Hi there ronni,

I think that what you have been diagnosed with has shocked most of us and we really don't know what to say for the best. We have heard that statins can increase the risk of cancer but I have had no experience with anyone else with cancer and statins, only one or the other.

Good luck with the operation and the after treatment, things have greatly improved over the years on that front so don't let yourself get too anxious about the procedure and just try to take things as they come ok.

I realise that any operation is hard not to think about or even worry over, but the important thing to remember is that the people who will do the op have done it and similar ones so many times before that it is second nature to them and they have seen any or all the variations between patients many time before.

Take care ronni and all the best, Allen.

by **ronni** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 9:59 am

Thanks for the encouragement Allen. I thought after being diagnosed with premature heart disease and then having my health ruined by statins that I had already been dealt all the bad hands for one lifetime...but I guess not. On the upside, papillary thyroid cancer is supposed to be one of the slowest growing and most treatable cancers so it could have been much worse. Still the "C" word is scary and it is hard to process and get my mind wrapped around it. I am getting excellent care at Vanderbilt Medical Center in Nashville, TN. It is in the top 20 hospitals in the U.S. as ranked by U.S. News and World Reports and my surgeon performs over 300 thyroidectomies a year. I am in experienced hands and that is somewhat comforting. Thanks again for the good thoughts.

by **Allen1** » Sat Mar 21, 2009 7:34 pm

Hi there ronni,

earlier on I googled "thyroidectomy" and the site I visited was very informative and lets you know what to expect and how small the incision is and it explains what the thyroid looks like as well as where it is situated and I think that the information given could make the procedure a lot less frightening if you take a look. (remove the asterisk first)

*http://www.surgerydoor.co.uk/so/detail2.asp?level2=Thyroidectomy

The big "C" is a scary subject and until someone is faced with it themselves I doubt if they will really know how it will affect them. I think that you are doing the right thing by finding out about it and the type of cancer it is, when you know what you are fighting against, it will make facing the enemy a lot easier and not so scary. Like a lot of people I have undergone a couple of operations, the thought of what might happen and all the uncertainty of what will happen is worse than the actual procedure. Although I have never had the added complication of having cancer in my operations, I still believe that knowing about the treatment will help you through it.

You are in safe hands from what you mentioned, I am just amazed at how good surgeons and all the medical staff are at the job they do, my personal experiences with operations have been a walk in the park with no complications other than taking a bit longer to heal than I expected.

Take care ronni, I really think and hope that the hardest part will be waking up to find its all over and finding that you don't feel anywhere as bad as you expected :-)

All the best,
Allen :-)

by **epfleger** » Sun Mar 22, 2009 6:37 am

Hey ronni:

Sounds like you have a terrific attitude. I think that's way more than half the battle.

My thoughts and prayers are with you.

by **Biologist** » Wed Mar 25, 2009 6:52 pm

ronni,

I cannot think of a better gland to lose for someone who is already hypothyroid. It may make dosing easier and more consistant to not have to factor in what may or may not be getting contributed by your own failing glands.

Biologist

by **Cat Mom2** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 2:28 pm

ronni- The company I work for use them (Vanderbilt in Nashville) for all our health screenings and I am so impressed with them or the lady there that we deal with - I have sent her many statin related things including the link to Dr. Golombs You Tube video on them and her latest report. I just asked her to pass them around after telling her my statin story and she has said she will.. So there ARE those there that are aware.. It starts with awareness! Have you commented to the doctors that you wonder about this cancer and the statin connection?

Good luck with your surgery and outcome! As well as all you statin recovery!

by **ronni** » Sun Apr 12, 2009 6:15 pm

Hi everyone,

Thanks so much for the thoughts and prayers. I am scheduled for surgery on April 27th. I did get a bit of good news - the biopsy of some enlarged lymph nodes was negative, so hopefully the cancer is contained within the thyroid gland.

Catmom, I also am very impressed with Vanderbilt and am comfortable with my decision to go there for care. It is a bit inconvenient since I live almost 200 miles away - but worth the sacrifice for the excellent care I am receiving. I have not asked my doctor about the statin connection but I will when I go back for follow-up after my surgery. I'll keep you posted.

by **vicki** » Mon Nov 08, 2010 5:02 pm

I developed CLL cancer, I like you am sure my cancer came from Statins also. I was perfectly healthy before statins, I was left on, told I needed to be on for over 7 yrs., now 15 yrs. later more and more medical problems. Every medical problem seems to go back to the Statins.

I got my lab tests from way back before statin use. started statins in 1995 my first lab test was in 2002 that I could find from my doctors. In 2002 is when my WBC & Lymphacytes started going up... this usually means an infection or the start of CLL. (no doctor bothered to re-check to see which it was) lab work said on tests CLL? no doctor checked nor mentioned it to me. Well in 2007 for sure, I did have Cancer. So while on the statins I DID DEVELOPE CLL, CANCER and I do believe it came from statins. No one will ever convince me that my cancer wasn't from statin drugs.

I have been reading that statins cause Vit. D and calcium loss. whitout cholesterol there is no vit. D. Was your Vit. D level low like mine? Maybe each one us is an individual, and do need our certain amount of cholestrol. On my other forum, my CLL cancer forum we are all looking at Vit. D, low maybe as the cause of cancers, inflamation also causes cancer. I don't know about you but my whole body seemed to be inflamed.

Good luck with your cancer may we all survive our cancers, diabetias, breathing problems, muscle and nerve damage........... all our problems from statins.

by **vicki** » Tue Jul 12, 2011 6:40 pm

not only have I developed CLL, now i have breast cancer and I know all my medical problems are from statins. Just had my lumpectomy and looks like they maybe got all my invasive ductal carcinoma. Cancer does not run in my family and now I have two cancers. 16 years later after I first started those wonderful statins andhad major medical problems I am still having major medical problems, It does not go away.

Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid Cancer

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