Former SNL Cast Member & Radio Talk Show Host Joe Piscopo, 74, Cherishes ‘Every Single Day’ After Beating Thyroid Cancer More Than 40 Years Ago— How Getting a Second Opinion Saved His Life

Recounting his health journey to the magazine in an earlier interview, Piscopo revealed a routine check-up was what led to his diagnosis, when his doctor detected what felt like “a small tumor” in his throat.

After his doctor examined his neck, Piscopo’s lump was biopsied and determined to be cancer-free. However, a close friend encouraged him to seek a second opinion, which ultimately proved to be life-saving.

RELATED: 7 Common Signs of Thyroid Cancer & How to Spot Them

His second opinion led to his diagnosis. That’s when they identified a non-differentiated cancers known as medullary carcinoma in his tumor. This, fortunately, required no further surgery or treatment, as it had been completely removed and had not spread.

SurvivorNet experts explain that Medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC) is a type of cancer that arises from the C cells of the thyroid, which make the hormone calcitonin. This cancer accounts for 2–5% of thyroid cancers and can be inherited via RET gene mutations, which may appear in childhood or early adulthood. MTC can spread to lymph nodes, lungs, or liver before a thyroid nodule is noticeable. Prognosis depends on early detection and whether the cancer is inherited or sporadic, with ongoing research and targeted therapies showing promising results.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joe Piscopo (@jrzyjoe)

Piscopo, who initially kept his diagnosis private to avoid potential career bias, told Coping Mag in 2001, as he celebrated 20 years without the cancer returning, that his thyroid cancer gave him a deepened gratitude for life.

“Every day is golden. Every day is icing on the cake,” Piscopo, who acted in the 1986 thriller/comedy “Wise Guys,” said.

“I’m sure I irritate people because of my positive attitude, but you have to appreciate every single day.”

RELATED: Sofia Vergara Beat Thyroid Cancer; New Research Suggests Continued Overdiagnosis Of This Disease

He also acknowledged that his health scare prompted him to prioritize regular check-ups and cancer screenings, noting, “I do all the preventive meas­ures that you have to do. And the doctors make sure I do it because of my past history.”

Piscopo feels that his experience with cancer has helped him grow personally, inspiring him to be more attentive to the needs of others who are less fortunate.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Joe Piscopo (@jrzyjoe)

He concluded, “That’s why I started The Positive Impact Foundation that helps at-risk kids. If I didn’t go through can­cer, I never would have seen the light. I would never think of helping those less fortunate.”

About 10 years ago, when asked about the hardest part about his cancer journey, Piscopo recounted to the Entertainment Scoop, how he couldn’t go public with his diagnosis “back then.”

“You didn’t talk about cancer … you just didn’t mention it because people thought it was like a death note. Now everyone picks a disease and they represent a disease. But back then you really had to be careful about it,” Piscopo said.

He also recalled that the hardest part of his recovery came while he was in the hospital with stitches, when a call from his friend Eddie Murphy made him laugh so hard he nearly tore them open.

Understanding Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer might be a daunting diagnosis, but it is often highly curable. Even in more advanced or aggressive types, treatments continue to improve, and patients can find hope in both the science and the support offered by medical teams, family, and friends.

“There are certainly other modalities that can be used for more advanced cancers,” Dr. Lisa Orloff, a head and neck surgeon at Stanford Medicine, previously assured SurvivorNet.

“Our thyroid gland is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland that sits in front of our windpipe. We think of it as kind of our energy driver. Its main purpose is to produce thyroid hormone,” Stephanie Giparas, a physician assistant at the Endocrine and Head and Neck Department at Moffitt Cancer Center, also told SurivorNet.

“The thyroid hormone not only regulates our metabolism, but almost every organ system in our body uses thyroid hormone. It supports our heart, it supports our brain. So you cannot live without thyroid hormone.”

The thyroid is responsible for several functions throughout our body, including:

• Metabolism: The thyroid produces hormones — mainly thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3) — that influence how fast your body uses energy (your “metabolic rate”).
• Heart Rate and Blood Pressure: These hormones help control how quickly your heart beats, which can also affect blood pressure.
• Body Temperature: By affecting the speed at which your cells operate, thyroid hormones play a part in regulating body temperature.
• Other Functions: The thyroid also works closely with the pituitary gland in your brain. This gland makes thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), which signals the thyroid to release more or fewer hormones based on your body’s needs.

It’s important to know that having an overactive or underactive thyroid does not necessarily increase the chance of developing thyroid cancer. Many people experience hyperthyroidism (when the thyroid produces too many hormones) or hypothyroidism (when the thyroid does not produce enough hormones) without ever developing cancer, but these conditions should be treated to correct the hormonal imbalance they represent.

Thyroid cancer occurs when cells in the thyroid gland begin to grow out of control, sometimes forming nodules or lumps. It usually grows slowly, and most cases can be successfully treated.

In the United States, close to 53,000 people receive a thyroid cancer diagnosis each year. Although it can happen at any age, it’s most frequently diagnosed in women in their 40s and 50s and in men in their 60s and 70s.

Risk factors include:

• Exposure to Radiation: Head or neck radiation treatments during childhood, or exposure to higher radiation levels (for example, nuclear accidents), can increase risk.
• Family History: Certain genetic conditions (especially affecting the RET gene) can raise the likelihood of developing some types of thyroid cancer.
• Iodine Deficiency: The thyroid uses iodine to make hormones, so low iodine intake can sometimes be linked to certain thyroid problems. However, because salt is often iodized in many countries, this is less common in places like the U.S.
• Gender and Age: Thyroid cancer is three times more likely in women. It is frequently found in women in midlife and men in later years.

Types of Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer is generally grouped based on the specific cells it develops from. Understanding these differences can help you work with your healthcare team to decide on the right treatment plan.

Differentiated Thyroid Cancers

“Differentiated” means that the cancer cells still look somewhat like normal thyroid tissue under the microscope. These typically start in follicular cells, the part of the thyroid responsible for making hormones.

• Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC): This is the most common type, making up about 80% of thyroid cancer diagnoses. It tends to grow slowly and is highly treatable, with an excellent cure rate. It usually develops in just one part (lobe) of the thyroid. Even when it spreads to nearby lymph nodes, most patients do very well with treatment. Papillary Thyroid Cancer has a near-100% five-year survival rate if found early and still localized. Even when it spreads, the survival rate is very encouraging.
• Follicular Thyroid Cancer: This is the second most common, making up about 10% of thyroid cancers in the U.S. It can spread through the bloodstream to lungs or bones. It still usually grows slowly and often responds well to treatment. Follicular Thyroid cancers have excellent long-term outcomes when diagnosed early.

• Oncocytic Thyroid Cancer (Hürthle Cell Cancer): This is a less common type once considered part of follicular cancer. It can be more challenging to treat but, if detected early, outcomes can still be good.

“Although papillary thyroid cancer is the most common, the other types of cancers tend to be more aggressive and tend to spread more widely, at least in advanced cases,” Dr. Orloff explains.

Non-differentiated Thyroid Cancers

Non-differentiated cancers can come from the thyroid’s calcium-controlling cells, from the immune cells that fight infections within the thyroid, or from follicular cells that are so mutated that they no longer look much like thyroid cells under a microscope.

• Medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC): This type of cancer arises from the C cells of the thyroid, which make the hormone calcitonin. These make up about 2% to 5% of all thyroid cancers and can sometimes be inherited (through changes in the RET gene). This inherited form, called Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia type 2 (MEN2), can appear in childhood or early adulthood. MTC can spread to lymph nodes, lungs, or liver before a noticeable thyroid nodule appears. The prognosis for MTC depends on how early it’s found and whether it’s inherited or sporadic. Ongoing research and targeted therapies show positive results for many.
• Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer: This is the rarest and most aggressive type, making up about 1% to 2% of all thyroid cancers. It occurs mostly in older adults and often grows and spreads rapidly, sometimes from a pre-existing papillary or follicular cancer that has gained new mutations. It can be hard to treat successfully, but a combination of surgery (if possible), chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and radiation may help slow progression.

“Medullary thyroid cancer is a completely different cell of origin,” Dr. Orloff explains. “Medullary cancer is treated with surgery. There are targeting agents that can treat it when it’s wide-spread. It is monitored through a separate blood test called calcitonin.”

Targeted therapies have also been successful at shrinking aggressive anaplastic thyroid cancers, Dr. Orloff explains, to the point where they can be surgically removed.

“Then the patient can go onto have additional chemotherapy and radiation therapy and can actually achieve a cure,” she says. “Anaplastic is a horribly aggressive cancer, but if it’s caught early and it is treated in a multidisciplinary way, it actually has become a type of cancer that can be cured.”

Thyroid Cancer Followup Depends On Risk

After completing treatment for thyroid cancer (which may involve a combination of surgery, radioactive iodine therapy, or other treatments), you will be carefully monitored by your treatment team — medical professionals call this “surveillance.”

This period of close monitoring is crucial to detect any potential recurrence of thyroid cancer early when it’s most treatable. It also allows you to ensure thyroid hormone levels remain in the proper range (especially if you’re on hormone replacement), assess overall health, and address any side effects from the treatment.

Thyroid Cancer Surveillance — How Will I Be Monitored After Treatment?

Frequency of Follow-Up Care

Generally speaking, we can frame the frequency of follow-up in two main periods: the first year following treatment and beyond the first year. However, this is not a one size fits all rule, and patients  may need more or fewer appointments according to their progress and needs.

“Anybody who has a diagnosis of thyroid cancer, who’s been treated for thyroid cancer, we do less frequent surveillance for low risk disease, a little bit more frequent for intermediate risk and much more frequent for high risk,” Dr. Kristen Otto, a head and neck/endocrine surgeon at Moffitt Cancer Center in Florida, previously told SurvivorNet.

First Year After Treatment

In the first year after completing treatment, it’s common to see your doctor every three to six months. Most patients see their doctor (often an endocrinologist or oncologist) more frequently at the beginning.

These visits allow for close monitoring of hormone levels, ensuring you’re on the correct dose of thyroid hormone replacement and quickly addressing any unusual symptoms.

Beyond the First Year

• If All Results Are Stable: Your doctor might gradually reduce the frequency to every 6-12 months.
• Longer-Term Survivorship Care: If there’s no sign of recurrent cancer over a period — often several years — your doctor may decide to extend the interval to annual visits or possibly transition your care to a primary care physician, with occasional check-ins with a specialist.

The exact timing can vary widely. More aggressive or advanced cancers may require longer and closer surveillance, while small, low-risk cancers may allow for less frequent appointments once you are in remission.

“We know that for papillary thyroid cancer, if someone is going to have a recurrence, most likely it’s going to happen within the first five years. [The] highest percentage happen within the first three years, but we know out to five years we’ll catch 97 to 99% of recurrences,” Dr. Otto explains.

Common Tests and Evaluations

At your follow-up visits after treatment, your doctor will perform a series of tests to assess your overall health. “The surveillance includes blood work, ultrasound, and office visit. Sometimes for the high risk patients, we add in scans because we can’t see, for instance, lung metastases on an ultrasound of the neck, we’d have to get a scan of the chest,” says Dr. Otto.

Your healthcare provider will likely use a combination of the following tools and tests:

Blood Tests

• TSH (Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone): Helps your doctor see if your thyroid hormone replacement dose needs adjusting
• Free T4 (FT4): Another measure of thyroid hormone in your blood
• Thyroglobulin (Tg): After thyroid removal (and sometimes radioactive iodine), levels of thyroglobulin (a protein produced by thyroid cells) should be very low or undetectable. Rising levels may signal potential recurrence.

Neck Ultrasound

• Ultrasound imaging of the neck is used to check for any suspicious lumps or lymph nodes. This is a key test in detecting local recurrences.

Imaging Tests (If Needed)

Sometimes other imaging (such as CT, MRI, or a radioactive iodine scan) may be recommended, especially if there are elevated thyroglobulin levels without a clear source.

Transitioning from Specialist to Primary Care

Many patients wonder when, if ever, they can leave the care of their oncologist or endocrinologist and return to primary care follow-up (seeing their local doctor).

This decision is highly individualized but typically involves:

• Consistency in “No Evidence of Disease”: If you’ve gone several years with stable, low (or undetectable) thyroglobulin levels, normal imaging results, and no suspicious symptoms, your doctor may consider reducing the frequency of specialist visits.
• Low-Risk Cancer: Individuals with smaller, low-risk thyroid cancers often have a smoother transition back to primary care, provided they remain stable.
• Shared Care Model: Sometimes, you may continue to see a primary care provider for routine health needs and an endocrinologist or oncologist once a year (or less) to monitor hormone levels and check for any signs of recurrence.

“If we follow a patient out through five years and there’s no evidence of disease at that point, at Moffitt Cancer Center, we generally then graduate our patients to back to their primary care doctor or to our survivorship program where they’re getting more long-term [care],” Dr. Otto advises.

Your medical team will guide you on the safest timeline. They’ll make sure you understand the signs or symptoms that should prompt you to return to specialist care more quickly.

Knowing What to Watch For

Patients should monitor their health for any changes that may warrant a visit to the doctor, even when they are on a regular monitoring schedule.

Experts recommend the following:

• Keep an Eye on Any Neck Changes: Report new lumps, swelling, or discomfort in the neck to your doctor.
• Stay Alert to Thyroid Hormone Imbalance Symptoms: Fatigue, weight changes, temperature intolerance, or unusual heartbeat patterns can indicate a dosage issue with your thyroid medication.
• Stay in Contact with Healthcare Providers: Don’t wait for your next scheduled appointment if you have concerns. Reach out sooner.

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

---