There are over 56,000 new cases of thyroid cancer in the US each year, and the majority of those identified are papillary thyroid cancer– the most typical type of thyroid cancer. Women are more likely to have thyroid cancer at a ratio of 3:1. Thyroid cancer can happen in any age group, although it is most typical after age 30, and its aggressiveness increases considerably in older patients. Approximately 1.2 percent of all males and females will be identified with thyroid cancer during the course of their lifetime.
Thyroid Cancer
If you have been identified with thyroid cancer, your doctor will produce a thyroid cancer treatment plan for you — The first is a detailed assessment of your thyroid and neck with high-resolution ultrasound and possible additional fine needle aspiration biopsy. The 2nd step is often surgery including some type of thyroidectomy. Other thyroid cancer treatments such as radioactive iodine are not commonly required. More aggressive thyroid cancers may integrate a mix of other thyroid cancer treatments beyond surgery and radioactive iodine.
Signs
Thyroid cancer can cause any of the following signs or symptoms:
- A lump in the neck, sometimes growing rapidly
- Swelling in the neck
- Difficulty swallowing
- Problem breathing
- A constant cough that is not due to a cold
- Pain in the front of the neck, in some cases increasing to the ears
- Hoarseness or other voice changes that do not disappear
If you have any of these signs or symptoms, speak with your doctor right away. Many of these symptoms can also be brought on by non-cancerous conditions and even other cancers of the neck area. Lumps in the thyroid prevail and are typically benign. Still, if you have any of these symptoms, it’s crucial to see your doctor right now so the cause can be discovered and dealt with, if required.
Prognosis
Many thyroid cancers are very treatable. In truth, the most typical types of thyroid cancer (papillary and follicular thyroid cancer) are the most curable. In more youthful patients less than 50 years of age, both papillary and follicular cancers have a more than 98% remedy rate if dealt with properly. Both papillary and follicular thyroid cancers are normally treated with at least total elimination of the lobe of the thyroid gland that harbors the cancer. A thyroid gland that has a thyroid cancer blemish within it and has multiple other blemishes in both sides of the thyroid or when the cancer has actually infected lymph nodes in the neck, is a clear sign for total removal of the thyroid gland.
