Thyroid Cancer Care Team

These health care professionals work closely with your physician in the clinic. There are two types: physician assistants (PAs) and advanced registered nurse practitioners (ARNPs). They help provide and plan your treatment and can see you without your physician. They also help manage the effects of your disease and treatment.

Infusions happen in a special area of the clinic. Cancer nurses who are experts in infusions give these treatments. They will also check you during each infusion. They respond to any medical issues that come up and help keep you comfortable.

This physician manages your medicine-based treatments. 

Your medical oncologist will:

• See you during your first visit. They will give you an exam and order any tests you need to diagnose or stage your disease.
• Explain what your diagnosis and stage mean and answer your questions.
• Recommend medicines, doses, schedule and sequence to match your exact needs. They will also talk with you about the benefits and risks.
• See you on a regular schedule to check how your cancer responds to treatment and how you are overall.
• Offer you ways to prevent, relieve and deal with side effects of treatment, like medicine to help with nausea.
• Work with the rest of your care team if you need other types of treatment.

Your patient care coordinator works closely with you and your physician. They will schedule your appointments.

This physician treats cancer with radiation. They prescribe and manage this part of your care. Working with a radiation oncology team, they plan and deliver your treatments.

Your radiation oncologist will:

• See you if your medical exam shows that radiation therapy is likely to help. If you did not need radiation at the start of care, but your situation changes, we will arrange for you to see a radiation oncologist.
• Recommend radiation therapy to match your case. They will decide the type, dose and schedule. They will also talk with you about the benefits and risks.
• Work behind the scenes with other radiation experts. These experts make sure you receive the right dose in the right places (dosimetrist). They also maintain the equipment used (medical physicist).
• Answer your questions about radiation therapy, like why you need it and what to expect.
• See you on a regular schedule during radiation therapy to check how your cancer responds and how you are doing overall.
• Offer you ways to prevent, relieve and deal with side effects of treatment.
• Work with the rest of your care team if you need other types of treatment.

This physician reads your imaging tests and decides what they mean. They also do some types of biopsies.
Your radiologist will:

• Look for abnormal areas on images from tests like CT scans and MRIs. 
• “Decode” the meaning of your images and recommend if you need more imaging, a biopsy or other care.
• Work closely with your surgeon to tell exactly where your tumor is and how this affects what kind of surgery, and how much surgery, you need.
• Work with the rest of your care team on any tests and treatments you need.

Your nurse manages your care with your physician. They also help with procedures and treatments. Nurses are resources for you and your caregiver. They can answer questions on a wide range of topics, like how to deal with side effects or get other services you need at Fred Hutch.

Many types of supportive care team members are here to help you and your family. They include registered dietitians, physical therapists, pain medicine specialists, psychologists, social workers, spiritual health staff, palliative care specialists, naturopaths and acupuncturists.

Learn more about Supportive Care Services

This physician does surgery to remove as much of your cancer as possible, along with an area of healthy tissue around the cancer. 

Your surgeon will:

• Explain, along with other team members, what your diagnosis and stage mean.
• Recommend surgery to match your case. They will explain your surgical options. They will also talk with you about the benefits and risks.
• Answer your questions about surgery, like why you need it and what to expect.
• Do your surgery, along with a team that includes an anesthesiologist and nurses.
• Offer you ways to prevent, relieve and deal with side effects of surgery.
• Work with the rest of your care team if you need other types of treatment.