New Brunswick, N.J., September 1, 2023 – The thyroid, a key part of the endocrine system, is a small gland at the base of your neck that produces a hormone that helps control your body's metabolism. Thyroid disorders can range from a small, harmless goiter (enlarged gland) that needs no treatment, to cancer that may need to be treated with surgery. Recent advances allow experts to treat benign thyroid nodules using a minimally invasive, non-surgical treatment called thyroid radiofrequency ablation (RFA). Toni Beninato, MD, MS, FACS, endocrine surgeon in the Endocrine and Neuroendocrine Tumor Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey and associate professor of surgery at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, shares more.
Q: Can you walk us through the Thyroid RFA procedure from start to finish?
Thyroid radiofrequency ablation is an office-based procedure where a thyroid nodule is basically dissolved with heat using image guidance. Similar to a fine-needle aspiration of the thyroid, this procedure is done in the office. The neck area is cleaned and local anesthetic is injected to numb the neck and the thyroid itself. Then, under image-guidance a needle is placed into the thyroid nodule and energy is directed to the thyroid nodule to dissolve the cells inside. Once the entire nodule is ablated, the patient is observed in the office for a short period and then goes home. There are no scars left after the procedure. The nodule gradually decreases in size over several months and there are several follow up appointments to track this progress.
Q: Who is a good candidate for this procedure?
Patents with benign thyroid nodules that are causing symptoms (trouble swallowing, pressure in the neck) are good candidates for this procedure. Currently, this is only offered for patients with non-cancerous nodules, so two biopsies showing that the nodule is benign are required before the procedure is offered. We can do these biopsies in our office as a same day visit. Only one side of the neck can be ablated at a time, so for patients with nodules on both sides of the thyroid, several RFA procedures would be required.
Q: Can you describe the benefits/uniqueness of Thyroid RFA?
Thyroid RFA is a non-surgical in-office procedure to treat benign thyroid nodules. Previously, patients would require an operation removing half of their thyroid in order to remove these nodules. With Thyroid RFA, patients can anticipate at least a 50 percent decrease in the size of the nodule over several months. Thyroid RFA is also less likely to affect your thyroid function than a thyroid operation. Again there are no scars, no general anesthesia, and no hospital visit, which makes the procedure more convenient and easier to recover from than surgery.
Learn more about this procedure offered at Rutgers Cancer Institute, the state’s leading cancer program and only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center together with RWJBarnabas Health.: Thyroid Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA)