Thyroid Cancer
What Happens In Thyroid Cancer?
Thyroid cancer is a malignancy of the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland near the base of the neck. Thyroid cancer has an unknown aetiology, however, it may be caused by a mix of genetic and environmental factors. Some people have no signs or symptoms. A bulge in the neck may be noticed by others.
Types of Thyroid Cancer:
The sort of cells from which thyroid cancer grows is used to classify it. Types of thyroid carcinoma include:
- Papillary: Papillary thyroid carcinoma accounts for up to 80% of all thyroid cancers. This cancer kind has a sluggish growth rate. Despite the fact that papillary thyroid carcinoma frequently spreads to the lymph nodes in the neck, it is a disease that responds effectively to treatment. Thyroid cancer of the papillary type is highly treatable and seldom deadly.
- Follicular: Follicular thyroid cancer is the most common type of thyroid cancer, accounting for up to 15% of all thyroid cancer diagnoses. This malignancy has a higher proclivity for spreading to bones and organs, such as the lungs. Treatment for metastatic cancer (cancer that spreads) can be more difficult.
- Medullary: Thyroid cancers that are medullary account for about 2% of all thyroid cancers. 25% of medullary thyroid carcinoma patients have a family history of the disease. It’s possible that a malfunctioning gene (genetic mutation) is to blame.
- Anaplastic: The most difficult kind of thyroid cancer to cure is anaplastic. It spreads fast through surrounding tissue and into other sections of the body. About 2% of thyroid cancer diagnoses are due to this unusual cancer form.
Causes
The cause of thyroid cancer is unknown. When cells in your thyroid undergo genetic alterations, thyroid cancer develops (mutations). The mutations allow the cells to reproduce and expand quickly. The cells also lose their ability to perish in the same way that regular cells do. The aberrant thyroid cells clump together to create a tumour. The aberrant cells might infect neighbouring tissue and move to other parts of the body (metastasize).
Symptoms
A thyroid nodule is a lump or growth in your neck that you or your healthcare professional may feel. If you have a thyroid nodule, don’t be alarmed. The majority of nodules are harmless (not cancer). Only around three out of every twenty thyroid nodules are cancerous (malignant).
Thyroid cancer might also manifest itself in the following ways:
- Breathing or swallowing problems.
- Loss of speech (hoarseness).
- Neck lymph nodes that are swollen.
Diagnosis
The doctor may prescribe one or more of the following tests if you have an enlarged thyroid nodule or other symptoms of thyroid cancer:
- Blood test: Thyroid blood tests assess hormone levels and determine whether your thyroid is working appropriately.
- Fine-needle aspiration biopsy: Your healthcare professional extracts cells from your thyroid to screen for cancer cells during a fine-needle aspiration biopsy. If cancer cells have spread to lymph nodes, a sentinel node biopsy can be used to determine this. Ultrasound technology may be used to guide these biopsy operations.
- Scan: Thyroid cancer can be detected and the spread of malignancy can be determined with a radioiodine scan. You take a tablet that contains a safe amount of radioactive iodine and swallow it (radioiodine). The thyroid gland absorbs the iodine over a few hours. The amount of radiation in the gland is measured using a particular gadget used by your healthcare professional. More testing is needed in areas where there is less radiation to confirm the presence of cancer.
- Imaging test: Thyroid cancer and cancer spread can be detected by imaging scans such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET).
Diagnosis
The doctor may prescribe one or more of the following tests if you have an enlarged thyroid nodule or other symptoms of thyroid cancer:
- Blood test: Thyroid blood tests assess hormone levels and determine whether your thyroid is working appropriately.
- Fine-needle aspiration biopsy: Your healthcare professional extracts cells from your thyroid to screen for cancer cells during a fine-needle aspiration biopsy. If cancer cells have spread to lymph nodes, a sentinel node biopsy can be used to determine this. Ultrasound technology may be used to guide these biopsy operations.
- Scan: Thyroid cancer can be detected and the spread of malignancy can be determined with a radioiodine scan. You take a tablet that contains a safe amount of radioactive iodine and swallow it (radioiodine). The thyroid gland absorbs the iodine over a few hours. The amount of radiation in the gland is measured using a particular gadget used by your healthcare professional. More testing is needed in areas where there is less radiation to confirm the presence of cancer.
- Imaging test: Thyroid cancer and cancer spread can be detected by imaging scans such as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computed tomography (CT), and positron emission tomography (PET).
Treatment
Surgery, hormone therapy, radioactive iodine, radiation, and, in rare situations, chemotherapy are all effective treatments.
Surgeries:
- Total Thyroidectomy with or without Lymph Node Dissection