Kimberly Vanderveen, MD is a Colorado native and graduate of Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, CO. She received her bachelor’s degree with honors from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, PA. She then earned her medical degree from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL in 2001. Dr. Vanderveen completed her surgical residency at UC-Davis in Sacramento, CA. During her residency, she also obtained a master's degree in Clinical Research and was actively involved in cancer research and education. After her surgical training, Dr. Vanderveen completed a fellowship in Endocrine Surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. She is knowledgeable in both medical and surgical aspects of endocrine diseases. She specializes in surgery for diseases of the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal glands and is a high volume neck and adrenal surgeon.

In this episode, the following topics are discussed:

• Two roads of tests: rule out and malignant markers
• Rule-out tests picks up innocent behavior pattern.  Most common is Afirma
• Malignant markers, or rule-in tests, are useful at determining extent of surgery, and help avoid a second or third surgery.  ThyroSeq, ThyraMIR, Rosetta
• Do patients get both tests?  Rule out and behavior?
• Approximately 15% of FNA’s come back indeterminate.  Some  centers as high as 30%
• Managing indeterminate nodules when a patient chooses no surgery.
• Taking into account emotional, financial, and lifestyle goals of the patient.
• Addressing priorities and goals of the patients should come first.
• Additional molecular testing, surgery, or active surveillance.
• Profiling a patient who choose to remove thyroid even if indeterminate — is usually due to fear and the C word.
• Price of molecular test is $3000 - $6000

NOTES

Kimberly Vanderveen, MD

American Thyroid Association

PAST EPISODES

50: Regarding Thyroid Cancer, Are You a Minimalist or a Maximalist? with Dr. Michael Tuttle from Sloan Kettering

35: Rethinking Thyroid Cancer – When Saying No to Surgery Maybe Best for You with Dr. Allen Ho from Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles

22: Avoiding Thyroid Cancer Surgery, Depending on the Size with Dr. Miyauchi from Kuma Hospital in Kobe, Japan

09: Thyroid Cancer Patients Experience Quality of Life Downgrade with Dr. Raymon Grogan and Dr. Briseis Aschebrook from the University of Chicago Medicine

08: The Financial Burden of Thyroid Cancer with Dr. Jonas de Souza from The University of Chicago Medicine