Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer affects the neck’s thyroid gland, which helps in hormone production. Although it’s a rare type of cancer, it is more common among people in their 30s and people above 60. Women are more likely to develop cancer than men.
Thyroid cancer is treatable, and in many instances, it is entirely curable, but it can come back later.
Thyroid cancer symptoms
Thyroid cancer’s symptoms include:
- Swollen neck
- Painless neck lumps
- Unexplained hoarseness that doesn’t get better after weeks
- Sore throat
- Difficulty swallowing
Thyroid cancer causes
Thyroid cancer occurs when a change in DNA inside thyroid cells can grow uncontrollably and produce lumps. There is no clear cause for the condition, but certain things can increase cancer risk; these include:
- Other thyroid conditions include thyroiditis (inflamed thyroid) or goiter, but not underactive or overactive thyroid
- Family history of thyroid cancer
- Exposure to radiotherapy in childhood
- Obesity
- Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), a bowel condition
- Acromegaly; is a rare condition that produces too much growth hormone
Thyroid cancer treatments
The treatments depend on the type of thyroid cancer and the spread range. The primary treatments are:
- Radioactive iodine treatment (consuming radioactive substances that travel through the blood and kill the tumor cells)
- Surgery (remove the cancer part or the complete thyroid)
- Radiotherapy external (direct beams of radiation to kill cancer cells)
- Targeted therapies and chemotherapy (medications to kill cancer cells)
Follow-up consultations after treatments are crucial to check for cancer’s reappearance.
Reviewed by – Dr. Priyanka, MBBS MD Microbiology
Page last reviewed: 16 JULY 2022