Thyroid cancer surgeon recommendations

[Anonymous]

I have a 1.7 cm thyroid cancer tumor. I could really use a surgeon recommendation, please. I have complex medical issues, so I want to pick someone good and stay alive.

I saw that Dr. Erin Felger was highly recommended, but when I tried calling the phone numbers online through Med Star, I am leaving messages but not getting any calls back. If anyone knows a reliable number for Dr. Felger that would be appreciated too.

Thank you!

[Anonymous]

My friend (a nurse married to a physician) used Jennifer Rosen and was pleased.

I had thyroid cancer 15 years ago. It is very scary, I know, but also a cancer that they know how to treat.
And your thyroid can be entirely replaced with medication.

You can get through this. I wish you peace and a full recovery. Many many people share our medical history.

HUGs!

[Anonymous]

Aarti Mathur at Sibley / Johns Hopkins

https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/profiles/details/aarti-mathur-1

[Anonymous]

i flew to tampa to gary clayman, who used to be chair of head and neck at md anderson, and now runs a thyroid cancer only hospital down there. Most of the headache of TC comes from inadequate initial surgery leaving persistent disease and they are very thorough down there, he is prob the best in the world. Jon Russel at jhu also seemed good and clearly closer but i went with clayman.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My friend (a nurse married to a physician) used Jennifer Rosen and was pleased.

I had thyroid cancer 15 years ago. It is very scary, I know, but also a cancer that they know how to treat.
And your thyroid can be entirely replaced with medication.

You can get through this. I wish you peace and a full recovery. Many many people share our medical history.

HUGs!

+1

[Anonymous]

+1 for Dr Jennifer Rosen; same office as Dr Erin Felger. Getting an appointment through their system is very frustrating (long wait to be connected, had to give my data twoce because they had no record of the previous call etc) but finally somebody called me back after almost 1 week from the initial call

[Anonymous]

If at all possible, I'd recommend going to Memorial Sloan Kettering in NYC. Top-notch doctors in all specialities for thyroid cancer, including one of the leading endocrinologist experts on the subject in the country, Dr. Tuttle, who has been at the forefront of determining when active surveillance rather than surgery is a safe and viable option depending on your individual circumstances:

https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/types/thyroid/treatment

Even if you don't want to consider active surveillance if you're a candidate, I'd still go to MSK for a consultation and opinion. I'd also recommend Johns Hopkins -- they have a center on thyroid cancer and some leading experts as well.

And I know it's scary, but PTC is a very slow-growing cancer, so you absolutely do have time to find a good surgeon and get second or third opinions. Make sure you talk about the whole course of recommended treatment, not just surgery.

[Anonymous]

Thank you to everyone for all the responses. I have some calling and thinking to do. 💕

[Anonymous]

Sorry to hear about your diagnosis. Be glad the tumor was found. My tumor was even smaller, but malignant. I didn't need to travel far. I live in DC. I had Dr. Catherine Picken do the surgery at GW in 2008. Just an overnight for observations.

My radioactive iodine therapy was at Georgetown in 2008. My endocrinologist has been Dr. Jonklaas for the last 15 years.

It is treatable. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Had a fantastic all around recent experience with Dr Jonathon Russell at Hopkins in Baltimore for papillary cancer. I think he exclusively specializes in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Did post surgery follow up via telehealth so only had to go to Baltimore twice. Was outpatient surgery no overnight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Had a fantastic all around recent experience with Dr Jonathon Russell at Hopkins in Baltimore for papillary cancer. I think he exclusively specializes in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Did post surgery follow up via telehealth so only had to go to Baltimore twice. Was outpatient surgery no overnight.

Glad you had a positive experience, but if OP is having a thyroidectomy, I strongly recommend against OP surgery.

I had a complication that would have been fatal if I had been sent home the night of my surgery.

They are rare, but can be serious. So, ask to be monitored overnight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Had a fantastic all around recent experience with Dr Jonathon Russell at Hopkins in Baltimore for papillary cancer. I think he exclusively specializes in thyroid and parathyroid surgery. Did post surgery follow up via telehealth so only had to go to Baltimore twice. Was outpatient surgery no overnight.

Glad you had a positive experience, but if OP is having a thyroidectomy, I strongly recommend against OP surgery.

I had a complication that would have been fatal if I had been sent home the night of my surgery.

They are rare, but can be serious. So, ask to be monitored overnight.

My surgery was at Hopkins and I did stay overnight. No complications though. My surgeon has since left, but Hopkins thyroid cancer program is all around excellent.

[Anonymous]

Not necessary to go to Memorial Sloan Kettering for this.

It is an increasingly common cancer, that is highly curable.

WHC is well known for their expertise with it. Hopkins is strong also. So, you do not need to travel to NYC (and I say this as someone in the medical field).

[Anonymous]

Dr. Electron Kibibeau at NIH was great for my wife.

[Anonymous]

Do you have to be on an experimental protocol for treatment at NIH?