Abstract

ABSTRACT

Objectives The study sought to understand the
experiences of patients with thyroid cancer (TC) from their
own perspective and to identify the factors that affected
their well-being.

Design This was a qualitative study based on
semistructured interviews that collected both prospective
and retrospective longitudinal data.
Setting Patients were initially recruited from one National
Health Service (NHS) Trust and from the contact list of a
TC charity.

Participants 25 participants took part in the study: 22
female and 3 male. The inclusion criteria were: (1) adults
over 18 years of age; (2) patients diagnosed with papillary
or follicular TC within 5 years of diagnosis and (3) patients
able to give informed consent. The exclusion criteria were:
(1) diagnosis of anaplastic TC; (2) diagnosis of terminal
TC with a short life span prediction and (3) codiagnosis of
another condition in addition to TC.

Results Patients’ psychological health, physical health,
relationships, employment and finances are all likely to be
affected by the diagnosis and treatment of TC. Negative
factors that affect the overall experience can include a
lack of compassion from healthcare professionals, as well
as physical side effects after surgery and during recovery.
Isolation and loneliness can be significant at many stages,
most frequently during treatment with radioactive iodine.
Anxiety and fear were widespread among participants.

Conclusions The experiences of TC patients can be
challenging, with well-being influenced by treatment
effects, psychological distress and the quality of support
available. These findings suggest that enhanced patient
education, emotional support and follow-up care may help
improve well-being, although further research is needed to
explore how best to implement such approaches.