If you feel a lump, painful or painless, in your front neck, swelling in neck, difficulty in swallowing, sore throat, hoarseness in voice then these symptoms can be indicated towards the cancer of a butterfly shaped gland located in the neck called Thyroid gland. Symptoms of thyroid gland are not seen overnight, they develop slowly. Lumps in the neck are also seen in another condition of a thyroid disorder called goiter. So, it is advisable to visit your physician if you suffer from any of the mentioned Signs of Thyroid Cancer.
Thyroid gland is extremely essential for our body as it controls the BMR of our body. That is the Basal Metabolic Rate which determines the metabolism of our body and as we all know that metabolism is necessary for nutrient absorption. Thyroid gland secretes hormones which are very crucial for various body functions like maintaining body temperature, blood pressure, heart rate, etc.
Thyroid cancer is a rare type of cancer that usually shows up as a nodule, lump or a mass in the neck where thyroid gland is located. As the name suggests the thyroid cells start proliferating or multiplying in an uncontrolled manner. Normally, we cannot see or feel thyroid gland. It has two lobes right and left which are joined by a narrow/small piece of gland called Isthmus. It has two types of cells in it Follicular cells and Parafollicular {c-cells} cells.
Follicular cells release thyroid hormones which regulates body metabolism. Lack of thyroid hormones is known as Hypothyroidism whereas excess of them is called Hyperthyroidism. Follicular cells use iodine from blood to make thyroid hormones and release of these hormones is controlled by TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) released by the Pituitary gland located at the base of the brain. Parafollicular cells or C-cells make calcitonin hormone which helps in calcium absorption in the body.
The signs of thyroid cancer include –
Signs that show metastasis of thyroid cancer include tiredness, loss of appetite, unexpected weight loss, nausea, and vomiting.
Suggested Read: What are The Symptoms of Thyroid?
Like any other cancer, there are some risk factors which can lead to the development of thyroid cancer which are as follows –
Suggested Read: What Is Cancer? Its Types And Causes
There are 4 main types of thyroid cancer —
Well, there are many ways to find out if a person has thyroid cancer or not. It
includes:
❖ Proper check up by physician if any of the above mentioned signs or symptoms are present. If a physician suspects that there is a possibility of thyroid cancer then further tests and investigations are done.
❖ Medical history and physical examination plays a crucial role in detection of any sort of cancer.
❖ Imaging tests are performed when you want to know which part of the thyroid gland is affected and how far cancer cells have grown. The various imaging technique includes —
➢ Ultrasound
➢ Radioiodine Scan
➢ Chest X-ray
➢ CT Scan
➢ MRI Scan
➢ PET (Positron Emission Tomography) Scan
➢ Biopsy
❖ Blood Tests — well blood tests are not that of great importance in diagnosing thyroid cancer cancer. But it helps in identifying that the thyroid is working properly or not. Thus help in monitoring thyroid cancer. It includes Blood levels of TSH, T3 , T4, Thyroglobulin, Calcitonin, Carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA), etc
❖ Laryngoscopy – As we all know the thyroid gland is located in the neck on and near vocal cords. Therefore there are chances that it can affect the vocal cords too.
Treatment of thyroid cancer includes – Surgery (thyroidectomy or lobectomy), radiation therapy (radiation kills cancer cells), radioiodine therapy, chemotherapy (intravenous or oral), hormone therapy, and others.
Suggested Read: How Is Cancer Diagnosed?
Thyroid cancer is not a life threatening cancer. Most of the thyroid cancers are treatable and they are more common in females in their middle age. Life expectancy is high in thyroid cancer as they are curable after diagnosis with proper treatment like surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, and radioiodine therapy.
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