Thyroid cancer: what are the usual steps from diagnosis to starting treatment?

Financial support and welfare: what to do first?

A first step is to ask the treating doctor or a nurse for a referral to a medical social worker; patients and their families can also apply for medical social services directly to the medical social services unit stationed at a public hospital or specialist clinic, and health care staff at the hospital or clinic, other government departments or welfare agencies can refer a case as well (Social Welfare Department, August 2023).

Medical social workers provide counselling on the emotional, family and caregiving problems that illness brings, help patients plan their discharge, and provide financial or material assistance, for example medical fee waivers, applications for fund subsidies, and referrals for patients and their families to apply for social security allowances (Social Welfare Department, May 2023). For the help available, see Cancer financial support in Hong Kong.

Compiled by this site: when you see the doctor, you can also ask when and where the next follow-up or test will be, and which doctor or case manager to contact; the Hospital Authority has cancer case managers who coordinate the diagnosis and treatment process for cancer patients (government paper submitted to the Legislative Council, July 2025). If you are thinking of moving hospitals or seeing another doctor, you can get the referral letter, test reports and images together first; for the documents needed, see Moving from public to private, or private to public.

What are the usual steps for thyroid cancer from diagnosis to starting treatment?

Compiled by this site: based on the sources in the table below, the general steps for thyroid cancer from first finding a problem to starting treatment are as follows; the order of the steps and the time they take vary from person to person.

The order of tests and treatment for an individual patient is decided by the treating doctor according to the patient's condition.

What preparation is needed for radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer?

Preparation before radioactive iodine treatment includes avoiding iodine-containing contrast agents for X-rays or scans, stopping thyroxine as instructed by the doctor (or having thyroid-stimulating hormone injections), and avoiding foods that contain iodine, with the details following the healthcare team's instructions; after taking radioactive iodine, patients generally stay in a hospital isolation ward for two days (Cancer Online Resource Hub, April 2026).

Six months after radioactive iodine treatment, the doctor will arrange a whole-body iodine isotope scan and a blood test for thyroglobulin, and after that there will be regular neck examinations and blood tests to detect recurrence (Cancer Online Resource Hub, April 2026).

How are Hospital Authority cancer services arranged?

Most Hospital Authority cancer services (for example diagnostic radiology, pathology, endoscopy, surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy and palliative care) are provided mainly in regional hospitals or cancer centres (Hong Kong Cancer Strategy 2019, July 2019). The Hospital Authority has multidisciplinary team clinics or meetings for some cancer types; Hospital Authority cancer services will take a patient-centred multidisciplinary team approach, with teams of doctors, nurses, medical social workers, clinical psychologists, radiation therapists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, dietitians and other professionals caring for the social and psychological needs of patients and their families (Hong Kong Cancer Strategy 2019, July 2019).

Which specialties are involved? How do I look up fees and financial support?

For the specialties related to thyroid cancer, see How to choose a thyroid cancer doctor.

For ultrasound and surgery fees, see Ultrasound fees compared and Thyroidectomy fees compared; for public, private and financial support compared, see Cancer treatment costs in Hong Kong.

What can I ask the doctor?

Compiled by this site: examples of questions you can ask: What type of cancer has been diagnosed, and what stage is it? Which tests are needed next, and who will arrange them? Will the treatment plan be discussed by several specialties together? Which doctor or case manager will be my contact? What will it cost, and what financial support is available?

For how a family member can help at appointments, see What to prepare for a first doctor's visit; for the documents needed to transfer between hospitals, see Moving from public to private, or private to public; for a second opinion, see How to prepare for a second opinion.

For a fuller checklist of what to ask your doctor and care team after a diagnosis, see what to ask your cancer doctor.

Frequently asked questions