Endocrine Tumors

Endocrine Tumors Overview

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center and UW Medicine’s Endocrine Tumor Program (ETP) uses an integrated, multidisciplinary team approach to treating patients with thyroid cancer and other endocrine cancers and tumors. Your care team includes specialists in endocrinology, surgery, radiology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, nuclear medicine, pathology and other experts in treating patients with endocrine tumors.

Fred Hutch ETP is the largest, most experienced program of its kind in the Pacific Northwest. We offer a unique longitudinal care model — a coordinated, team-based approach to long-term care — with a specialized advanced practice provider, like a physician assistant (PA) or an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP). We will guide you every step of the way, combining our deep clinical expertise with a commitment to meet your personal needs.

Nurse practitioner A registered nurse who has additional education and training in how to diagnose and treat disease. In cancer care, a nurse practitioner may manage the primary care of patients and their families. A registered nurse who has additional education and training in how to diagnose and treat disease. Nurse practitioners are licensed at the state level and certified by national nursing organizations. In cancer care, a nurse practitioner may manage the primary care of patients and their families, based on a practice agreement with a physician. Physician assistant A health professional who is licensed to do certain medical procedures under the guidance of a physician. A health professional who is licensed to do certain medical procedures under the guidance of a physician. A physician assistant may take medical histories, do physical exams, take blood and urine samples, care for wounds and give injections and immunizations.

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Why Choose Fred Hutch Endocrine Tumor Program?

Comprehensive and coordinated care

Fred Hutch and UW Medicine’s Endocrine Tumor Program (ETP) uses an integrated, multidisciplinary team approach to treating patients with thyroid cancer and other endocrine cancers and tumors. Your care team includes specialists in endocrinology, surgery, radiology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, nuclear medicine, pathology and other experts in treating patients with thyroid cancer and other endocrine cancers and tumors.

Clinical trials

To give you access to the latest endocrine tumor treatments, we bring together the leading researchers and cancer specialists of Fred Hutch and UW Medicine so you can join clinical studies that are not available everywhere.

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Clinical trial A type of research study that tests how well new medical approaches work in people. These studies test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis or treatment of a disease.

Long-term follow-up

Fred Hutch Endocrinology Tumor Program provides longitudinal care — a coordinated, team-based approach to long-term care — to patients who have been treated here. This means we will continue to see you after your cancer treatment is over. The program includes three endocrinologists with special training in oncology as well as an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP).

Learn more about this unique program.

Leader in cancer treatment and care

Fred Hutch is the leading cancer treatment center in the region. Our program helps update National Comprehensive Care Center (NCCN) guidelines, and we bring all of the latest changes and newly-approved therapies into our own patient care.

Which Endocrine Cancers Do We Treat?

Adrenal gland tumors icon

Parathyroid tumors icon

Thyroid cancer icon

Multiple endocrine tumor syndromes (MEN1, MEN2A/B, MEN 4)

Treatment

Our services include initial diagnosis, treatment and ongoing management of thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal gland nodules, masses, cancers and other conditions. We also offer fine needle aspiration (biopsy), molecular diagnostics and surgical options. Your treatment plan will depend on your exact diagnosis.

Fred Hutch has molecular imaging and therapy specialists who can do whole-body dosimetry, measure iodine absorption and make safer dose decisions for patients with complicated conditions or metastatic cancer. We also have 68Ga-DOTATATE radiotracers for metastatic neuroendocrine tumor evaluation.

Our program follows pathways based on the latest guidelines by the American Thyroid Association and the National Comprehensive Care Network (NCCN).

Metastatic A metastatic cancer is a cancer that has spread to other areas of the body by way of the lymph system or bloodstream. Treatment plan A detailed plan with information about a patient’s disease, the goal of treatment, the treatment options for the disease and the possible side effects and expected length of treatment. A detailed plan with information about a patient’s disease, the goal of treatment, the treatment options for the disease and the possible side effects and expected length of treatment. A treatment plan may also include information about how much the treatment is likely to cost and about regular follow-up care after treatment ends.

“Getting to know my patients as people is valuable to me. I want patients to feel like we are on a team together and to have confidence that we are creating a treatment plan that’s right for them.”

— Katherine Parikh, ARNP

Long-Term Follow-Up Care

Many common cancer treatments, like immunotherapy, can affect a patient’s endocrine system, even if the primary cancer treated was not an endocrine cancer. Tumors or long-term side effects on the endocrine system can cause changes to sleep, digestion and other body functions. Sometimes these effects go on for several years, long after the active phase of cancer treatment is over. Also, people who have been treated for a thyroid malignancy may need long-term monitoring in case their thyroid cancer comes back (a recurrence).

For these groups of people, our program offers long-term follow-up care, where you can meet with an endocrinologist to make a long-term plan.

Who is this clinic for?

We offer care to patients who have been treated at Fred Hutch. The program includes three endocrinologists who specialize in oncology and an advanced registered nurse practitioner (ARNP).

What does care at this clinic look like?

Our dedicated endocrinology nurse practitioner will provide ongoing surveillance for thyroid cancer patients and manage endocrine-related side effects from cancer treatment. During your appointment, we will review any labs and imaging related to your cancer and treatment and discuss how you are feeling on your medications and make changes if necessary. You will receive an annual follow-up visit at a minimum, and your care team is always available for an appointment sooner for any questions or concerns that come up between appointments.

Imaging In medicine, a process that makes pictures of areas inside the body. Imaging uses methods such as X-rays (high-energy radiation), ultrasound (high-energy sound waves) and radio waves. Immunotherapy A type of therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. A therapy that uses substances to stimulate or suppress the immune system to help the body fight cancer, infection and other diseases. Some immunotherapies only target certain cells of the immune system. Others affect the immune system in a general way. Types of immunotherapy include cytokines, vaccines, bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) and some monoclonal antibodies. Nurse practitioner A registered nurse who has additional education and training in how to diagnose and treat disease. In cancer care, a nurse practitioner may manage the primary care of patients and their families. A registered nurse who has additional education and training in how to diagnose and treat disease. Nurse practitioners are licensed at the state level and certified by national nursing organizations. In cancer care, a nurse practitioner may manage the primary care of patients and their families, based on a practice agreement with a physician. Primary cancer The original, or first, tumor in the body. The original, or first, tumor in the body. Cancer cells from a primary cancer may spread to other parts of the body and form new, or secondary, tumors. This is called metastasis. These secondary tumors are the same type of cancer as the primary cancer. Also called primary tumor. Recurrence Cancer that has come back, usually after a period during which it could not be detected. It may come back to the same place as the original (primary) tumor or someplace else. Also called recurrent cancer. Side effects A problem that occurs when treatment affects healthy tissues or organs. Some side effects of cancer treatment are nausea, vomiting, fatigue, pain, decreased blood cell counts, hair loss and mouth sores. Surveillance Closely watching a patient’s condition but not treating it unless there are changes in test results. Surveillance is also used to find early signs that a disease has come back. In medicine, surveillance means closely watching a patient’s condition but not treating it unless there are changes in test results. Surveillance is also used to find early signs that a disease has come back. It may also be used for a person who has an increased risk of a disease, such as cancer. During surveillance, certain exams and tests are done on a regular schedule. In public health, surveillance may also refer to the ongoing collection of information about a disease, such as cancer, in a certain group of people. The information collected may include where the disease occurs in a population and whether it affects people of a certain gender, age or ethnic group.

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Care team

At Fred Hutch, a team of dedicated people surrounds you and your family to give you the highest level of care and support. You are the most important person on your care team. Our patients are at the center of everything we do.

Endocrine Tumors Care Team

Care team

Clinical trials

We bring promising new treatments to patients. For patients with an endocrine cancer, this means more treatment options at Fred Hutch than you might find somewhere else, including the chance to join one of many clinical trials at Fred Hutch and UW Medicine.

View Clinical Trials

Clinical trials

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