Symptoms of Thyroid Cancer
A benign tumor of the thyroid gland is usually very small and does not cause problems. But, a cancerous tumor in the thyroid gland may grow larger and compress nearby structures such as the larynx (voice box), trachea (windpipe), or esophagus (the tube that carries food from the throat to the stomach). You may have trouble breathing, swallowing, or talking.
A malignant tumor of thyroid tissue can spread directly through blood vessels to lymph nodes near your collarbone and along your windpipe. It also may spread via the bloodstream to other parts of your body.
Symptoms of a lump in your neck include:
Any type of swelling in front of your neck could be a sign of a thyroid problem. If the swelling does not go away in about 2 weeks, see your doctor right away.
Other symptoms of a tumor in the thyroid gland may include:
Hoarseness or a change in voice
A lump or swelling under your chin
The following tests and procedures can help diagnose a lump or swelling of the thyroid gland:
Blood tests measure levels of certain substances related to thyroid function, such as thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Tests may be repeated after giving you medicine that stimulates hormone production by the thyroid gland. This test is called a TSH stimulation test. Results from this test show how well the pituitary gland is working and how much thyroid hormone the body needs.
symptoms of thyroid cancer:
a persistent feeling of being tired
difficult with the digestion of food
difficult with the breathing
going to sleep at unusual times in day and night
weight loss even when you have no specific diet.
The thyroid is a small organ located in the neck below the voice box. The thyroid is responsible for regulating how fast your body uses energy from foods, converts this energy into heat, and controls how sensitive your body should be to other hormones. You must consult a doctor if you observe these indications since they can affect people of all ages.
Thyroid cancer stages:
Stage I: Cancer is found in the thyroid and has not spread to other parts of the body. But you may no longer be able to speak and will need a feeding tube and breathing machine. You will be treated with radioactive iodine or surgery, depending on your age and medical history.
Stage II: Cancer usually only spreads to lymph nodes near the thyroid gland, but it can also reach farther away from the area. It isn’t as well-defined as Stage III
and sometimes difficult for doctors to detect without an exam or scan.
Stage III: For this stage, there are three types of papillary carcinoma that have spread beyond the local tissues into other areas of the neck or nearby organs like your windpipe, salivary glands, and the base of your skull. Stage III cancer may have spread to regional lymph nodes or distant organs such as your liver or lungs.
Stage IV: Cancer has spread to distant organs.
Thyroid cancer symptoms:
a persistent feeling of being tired
difficult with the digestion of food
difficult with the breathing
going to sleep at unusual times in day and night
weight loss even when you have no specific diet.
Thyroid cancer symptoms in females:
a lump in the neck
enlargement of the thyroid gland.
The thyroid is a small organ located in the neck below the voice box. The thyroid is responsible for regulating how fast your body uses energy from foods, converts this energy into heat, and controls how sensitive your body should be to other hormones. You must consult a doctor if you observe these indications since they can affect people of all ages.
what causes thyroid cancer:
heredity
exposure to radiation
exposure to certain chemicals.
Thyroid cancer occurs when cells in the thyroid change and grow out of control. This can happen in one or both lobes of the thyroid gland. Benign tumors, which are not cancerous, do not spread to other parts of your body but may cause problems with breathing, swallowing, or talking if they press on your windpipe.
Thyroid cancer prognosis:
Stage I: The five-year survival rate for this stage is greater than 95 percent.
Stage II: The five-year survival rate drops to about 92 percent when only regional lymph nodes are involved. It’s still almost 100 percent when cancer has spread beyond the neck into other organs but hasn’t yet reached lymph nodes away from the thyroid gland.
Stage III: The five-year survival rate drops to about 87 percent, but it’s still 93 percent when cancer has spread to other organs.
Stage IV: The five-year survival rate drops to 14 percent, but it goes up significantly if lymph nodes are removed during surgery along with all or part of your thyroid gland.
Treating Thyroid Cancer:
surgery is used for small cancers that can be removed without damaging critical structures in the neck. It may also be an option for some people whose cancer has not spread beyond the thyroid gland. The use of radiation therapy and radioactive iodine therapy is common after surgery.
Thyroid cancer treatment:
Both radioactive iodine therapy and surgery are used to treat papillary thyroid carcinomas. The choice depends on several factors, including how large the tumor is, whether it has spread to nearby lymph nodes or tissues outside of the thyroid gland, and your age.
Surgery for papillary thyroid carcinoma:
Surgery is used for small cancers that can be removed without damaging critical structures in the neck. It may also be an option for some people whose cancer has not spread beyond the thyroid gland. The use of radiation therapy and radioactive iodine therapy is common after surgery.
Anaplastic thyroid cancer:
Anaplastic thyroid cancer is a rare type of thyroid cancer.
It also may recur, or come back after treatment. This can be because the disease was only partially removed by surgery or radiation therapy or because it wasn’t diagnosed early enough to treat effectively. An oncologist with expertise in treating this kind of cancer will oversee your care and recommend appropriate treatment options for you.
Thyroid cancer surgeries:
1) lobectomy:
A surgeon removes only part of the lobe when they’re operating on your thyroid.
2) partial thyroidectomy:
The surgeon removes a portion of the thyroid that contains cancerous cells while leaving as much of the gland intact as possible. This is done to maintain your physical and mental health, prevent hoarseness from damage to your voice box, allow you to speak normally after surgery, and minimize any problems swallowing or breathing.
3) total thyroidectomy:
The surgeon removes all of the thyroid glands when they’re operating on your condition. In this case, radioactive iodine therapy or anti-thyroid drugs may be used immediately following surgery to stop further production of hormone by the remaining normal tissue.
The type of surgery will depend on factors such as tumor size and location in the neck, whether you have lymph node or other conditions in the neck, and your age.
Thyroid cancer surgery risk:
Surgery carries a small to moderate chance of complications, including permanent hoarseness, nerve injury, or vocal cord paralysis. You can also develop bleeding or an infection after surgery. Thyroid function may be permanently reduced and you may need lifelong thyroid hormone replacement.
Possible risks:
There is a potential risk of damage to the recurrent laryngeal nerves that control your voice box (larynx) or your parathyroid glands, which help maintain calcium levels in your blood. The latter usually heal without permanent problems, but you’ll likely end up with hypocalcemia if it’s damaged. Hypocalcemia can cause muscle spasms and seizures in severe cases.