Hopkins physicians are working on fine needle tests for diagnosis before surgery. Currently, if the lump or nodule is found to be a follicular tumor, half the thyroid is removed and tested. If the results show the tumor is malignant, another surgery is performed to remove the rest of the thyroid. With better presurgical testing, doctors hope to operate only on known malignancies. New molecular tests focusing on a specific enzyme, telomerase, are under development.
Gene therapy has the potential to offer solutions where current treatments fall short.
Like research for many diseases, Hopkins is pursuing gene therapy for thyroid cancer. One study is focused on finding a mechanism to stop metastatic cancers that spread to other parts of the body. Another study is investigating chromosomal abnormalities in thyroid cancers to see how the mutations may be linked to malignant forms of the disease. Hopkins also has significant research studies under way with the drugs Taxol and topotecan. More information is available from the Thyroid Tumor Center.