Thyroid cancer in children is rare, accounting for only about 0.7 percent of tumors. However, rates are on the rise, increasing by 3 percent every year. At Nicklaus Children’s Hospital’s Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes, our comprehensive thyroid cancer program is designed to provide the latest options in diagnosis and treatment while offering families compassionate, individualized care.
“We have the capacity to treat all pediatric thyroid cancer patients using a multidisciplinary approach,” says Carmen Bustamante Escobar, MD, pediatric endocrinologist and thyroid cancer program coordinator at Nicklaus Children’s. “We see every case individually. Our goal is for children and teens to go back to normal life as quickly and smoothly as possible.”
Experienced, Multidisciplinary Team
Nicklaus Children’s thyroid cancer program includes specialists from many different areas, including:
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Endocrinology
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Interventional radiology
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Pathology
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Radiation oncology
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Surgery
Team members meet in a monthly conference to discuss every patient and determine the best course of treatment.
“All big decisions, including surgery, intervention and radiation treatment, are made as a group,” Dr. Bustamante Escobar says. “Every case is discussed individually because every case is unique. Throughout the process, we have verbal discussions of every single step.”
Nicklaus Children’s also has a dedicated pediatric thyroid surgeon who performs a high volume of these procedures, offering a level of expertise that not only allows for successful treatment but also very low complication rates.
“For this rare type of cancer, it’s important to have a high-volume surgeon with the ability and experience required for the best outcomes,” Dr. Bustamante Escobar says. “We have the highest number of thyroid patients of any facility in south Florida.”
Advanced Diagnosis and Treatment Options
At Nicklaus Children’s, our experts use the latest diagnostic methods, including fine needle respiration biopsy and specialized high-definition ultrasounds, to determine the most accurate diagnoses and create the best treatment plan for every patient.
We offer all treatments available for thyroid cancer using the most advanced methods. Nearly all patients require surgery to remove all or part of the thyroid. Some children may require radiation oncology and, in rare cases, chemotherapy. Radiation treatment is offered through our partnership with Miami Cancer Institute at Baptist Health South Florida. Matthew David Hall, MD, lead pediatric radiation oncologist at Miami Cancer Institute, is part of our multidisciplinary team and communicates regularly with the staff of our thyroid cancer program.
Shaping the Future of Pediatric Thyroid Cancer
Our team is also dedicated to advancing the treatment of pediatric thyroid cancer through ongoing research.
“For thyroid cancer, the most recent research tool is molecular studies,” Dr. Bustamante Escobar says. “We perform molecular analysis on all cancers, which gives us a better understanding of cancer in children. We do this for every patient with cancer.”
Most pediatric cancer centers do not offer this approach, but it can make a big difference in determining the most appropriate treatment for every individual patient.
Recently, Nicklaus Children’s joined the Child and Adolescent Thyroid Consortium (CATC), an international research program involving 21 institutions across North America. The goal of the CATC is to provide infrastructure for physicians and scientists interested in pediatric thyroid-related research, enhancing collaboration and improving patient care. Participating institutions contribute to the CATC Registry and Biorepository.
“We are proud to be part of the CATC with some of the biggest institutions in the United States,” Dr. Bustamante Escobar says. “We have published and presented research in international meetings and hope to continue to do more as part of the CATC.”
One factor that sets Nicklaus Children’s apart from other facilities is our large Hispanic community.
“Hispanic people have special risk factors for thyroid cancer,” Dr. Bustamante Escobar says. “So far, we have not found differences in terms of recurrence, but it is something we are investigating as part of our research.”
Helping Families Every Step of the Way
Providing support for families is another big part of our mission at Nicklaus Children’s.
“Cancer is difficult for families. Every time a family comes to us, they are scared,” Dr. Bustamante Escobar says. “Thyroid cancer usually has a good prognosis, but patients and families need support from us to navigate through the whole process.”
Every member of our team is dedicated to helping the process go as smoothly as possible for every family.
“Families become a part of our team. Our physicians are like their companions, and that makes us very special,” Dr. Bustamante Escobar says. “Larger facilities may delegate that care, but we do it side by side, step by step, with the family, which is comforting and makes a big difference.”
This partnership with families begins as soon as a patient enters the program.
“Families start meeting specialists right away, and they stay in contact with all providers at the same time,” Dr. Bustamante Escobar says. “They receive updates from our multidisciplinary team on the day we meet or the day after. We also make ourselves easily accessible with phone calls. Every patient gets a roadmap, so families know exactly what they need to do, as well.”
Social workers and psychologists are also available for families to help them through emotional challenges and other aspects of the cancer journey. After treatment is complete, support continues.
“Patients follow up with us until they have aged out and need to be transferred to adult care,” Dr. Bustamante Escobar says. “We provide support to ensure that transition goes smoothly. Most patients have a good prognosis and go on to have an excellent quality of life.”
To learn more about Nicklaus Children’s Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes and the thyroid cancer program, email our physician liaison.