Cancer guide
By Cura Editorial Team ·
Most thyroid cancers are highly treatable, and small papillary cancers may not need immediate surgery — active surveillance is a real option now.
Recent approvals and trial results — and the questions to ask your oncologist about whether any of it applies to you. Not every option fits every person.
The FDA granted full approval to selpercatinib (Retevmo) for advanced RET fusion-positive solid tumors, including some thyroid cancers.
May apply to: RET fusion-positive advanced thyroid cancer
Ask your oncologist:
Source: FDA
In a phase 2 trial, dabrafenib, trametinib, and pembrolizumab before surgery allowed 83% of patients with BRAF-mutant anaplastic thyroid cancer to have their tumor removed.
May apply to: BRAF V600E anaplastic thyroid cancer
Ask your oncologist:
Source: Journal of Clinical Oncology
Reviewed September 25, 2026.
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The signs that most often lead to a thyroid cancer diagnosis are: a new lump in the neck or a nodule felt on the thyroid; persistent hoarseness or a change in the voice; difficulty swallowing or a feeling of pressure in the neck. Any of these lasting more than a couple of weeks is worth a same-week appointment, even though most turn out to be something else.
See a doctor promptly if a symptom is new, persistent, or getting worse rather than better. Describe when it started, how often it happens, and what makes it better or worse — that detail is what decides whether you get imaging or testing at the first visit.
Most thyroid cancers are highly treatable, and small papillary cancers may not need immediate surgery — active surveillance is a real option now. Papillary is the most common type and generally has excellent outcomes. Small (<1 cm) low-risk papillary cancers may be safely watched, not immediately removed. Molecular testing on biopsies can avoid unnecessary surgery for indeterminate nodules.
Ask what the exact diagnosis is and how it is staged, what the treatment options are and in what order they would happen, what the goal of treatment is, which side effects to expect, and whether a second opinion or clinical trial makes sense for your situation.
Paste a pathology report, upload a scan summary, or just type the question you'd ask your oncologist if you had more than 15 minutes. Cura will answer in plain language.
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If a start date is on the calendar, or you feel lost between diagnosis and the first infusion, build a first-visit brief on the page: what's known, what's missing, what to ask. Homework, not a treatment plan.
Cura Brief is educational. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a treatment plan. Confirm everything with your oncology team. If this is an emergency, call emergency services. Email is not an emergency line.
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Waiting for results is its own kind of hard. Cura has a plain-language guide to what the wait actually means — and what to do while you wait.
How long do biopsy results take?