Thyroid cancer (patient information)
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| Thyroid cancer Classification and external resources | |
 | |
|---|---|
| This follicular adenoma of the thyroid is shown in a right lobectomy specimen, sectioned vertically and viewed from the posterior aspect to show a 2.7 cm tumor distending the lower pole. Courtesy of Ed Uthman, MD | |
| ICD-10 | C73 |
| ICD-9 | 193 |
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What is thyroid cancer?
Thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck which makes hormones to help the body work normally. Thyroid cancer is a cancer that starts in the thyroid gland. Thyroid cancer doesn't have any early symptoms. With the development of tne cancer, usual symptoms include a lump that can be felt through the skin on your neck, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, pain in the neck and throat and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Treatments include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, thyroid hormone therapy or a combination of them.
How do I know if I have thyroid cancer and what are the symptoms of thyroid cancer?
Early thyroid cancer does not have any symptoms. As the tumor grows larger, people may notice one or more of the following symptoms:
- A nodule, lump, or swelling in the neck
- Pain in the front of the neck
- Hoarseness or other voice changes
- Trouble swallowing
- Breathing problems
- Continuous cough
Other health problems may also cause these symptoms. Only a doctor can tell for sure. A person with any of these symptoms should tell the doctor so that the problems can be diagnosed and treated as early as possible.
Who is at risk for thyroid cancer?
Clinical data have suggested that the development of thyroid cancer is related to several factors.
- A diet low in iodine: Clinical survey show follicular thyroid cancers are more common in areas where people's diets are low in iodine.
- Radiation: Scientists has proven that radiation exposure is a risk factor for thyroid cancer. Such radiation includes medical treatments and radiation fallout from power plant accidents or nuclear weapons.
- Hereditary conditions: Studies show people with certain inherited medical conditions such as familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC), Gardner syndrome, Cowden disease, and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) are at higher risk of developing thyroid cancer.
- Gender: Contrary to other cancers, thyroid cancers occur more often in women than in men.
- Age: Clinical data show that papillary and follicular thyroid cancer are usually found in people between the ages of 20 and 60 years.
How to know you have thyroid cancer?
- Thyroid hormones tests: Thyroid hormones including F3, F4, FF3, FF4 and TSH (thyroid-stimulating hormone) are needed to assess thyroid gland function.
- Tumor markers: Test for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) can sometimes help tell if medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) is present.
- Fine needle aspiration biopsy: The doctor places a thin, hollow needle directly into the nodule to take out cells and repeats twice or three times to receive samples from several areas of the nodule. Then these cells can be checked under a microscope to see whether cancerous or benign.
- Thyroid gland radioiodine scan: During this test, the doctors put substances with small amounts of radiation into your body and detect the location of the substances. The test can help locate abnormal cells in the body.
- Computed tomography (CT) scan and biopsy: CT scans are often used to diagnose thyroid cancer. It can help determine the location and size of thyroid cancers and whether they have spread to nearby or distant areas. These are helpful for identifying the stage of the cancer and in determining whether surgery is a good treatment option. CT scans can also be used to guide biopsy and a biopsy sample is usually removed and looked at under a microscope.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): An MRI uses magnetic fields but it is a different type of image than what is produced by computed tomography (CT) and produces very detailed images of soft tissues such as the thyroid glands. Like computed tomography (CT), a contrast agent may be injected into a patient’s vein to create a better picture.
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scan: When doing this test, a small amount of a radioactive medium is injected into your body and absorbed by the organs or tissues. This radioactive substance gives off energy which in turn is used to produce the images. PET can provide more helpful information than either CT or MRI scans. It is useful to see if the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes and it is also useful for your doctor to locate where the cancer has spread.
When to seek urgent medical care?
Call your health care provider if symptoms of thyroid cancer develop.
Treatment options
Patients with thyroid cancer have many treatment options. The selection depends on the stage of the tumor. The options are surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, thyroid hormone treatment, or a combination of these methods. Before treatment starts, ask your health care team about possible side effects and how treatment may change your normal activities. Because cancer treatments often damage healthy cells and tissues, side effects are common. Side effects may not be the same for each person, and they may change from one treatment session to the next.
- Surgery: Surgery is the main treatment for thyroid cancer. Usually, surgery of removing the tumor and all or part of the remaining thyroid gland is recommended.
- Radiation therapy: It includes radioactive Iodine (Radioiodine) therapy and external beam radiation therapy. Radioactive iodine (RAI) known as I-131 can be taken into the body to destroy the thyroid gland and any other thyroid cells including cancer cells. During external beam radiation therapy, the doctors use high-energy rays to destroy cancer cells or slow their rate of growth.
- Chemotherapy: Because chemotherapy is seldom helpful for most types of thyroid cancer, it is always combined with external beam radiation therapy for anaplastic thyroid cancer.
- Thyroid hormone therapy: This treatment is to take daily pills of thyroid hormone. The aim is to help maintain the body's normal metabolism (by replacing missing thyroid hormone) and prevent some thyroid cancers from returning.
Diseases with similar symptoms
Other health problems may also cause similar symptoms. Go to see your doctor to verify your diseases as early as possible. Diseases with similar symptoms are listed in the following:
Where to find medical care for thyroid cancer?
Directions to Hospitals Treating thyroid cancer
Prevention of thyroid cancer
The reasons for the development of thyroid cancer are not clear. Epidemiological data show the following may be helpful:
- Avoidance of diets low in iodine
- Avoidance of radiation exposure
- Genetic blood tests for people with a family history of familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC)
What to expect (Outook/Prognosis)?
The prognosis of thyroid cancer depends on the following:
- The stage of the cancer: the size of the tumor, whether the cancer has spread outside the thyroid gland
- Whether or not the tumor can be removed by surgery
- The patient’s general health
Copyleft Sources
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/thyroidcancer.html
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/CRI_2_3x.asp?rnav=cridg&dt=43
Acknowledgement and Attribution Regarding Sources of Content
Some of the initial content on this page may be incorporated in part from copyleft sources in the public domain including wikis such as Wikipedia and AskDrWiki. Drug information for patients came from the The National Library of Medicine. Infectious disease information may have come from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Differential Diagnoses are drawn from clinicians as well as an amalgamation of 3 sources: 1.The Disease Database; 2. Kahan, Scott, Smith, Ellen G. In A Page: Signs and Symptoms. Malden, Massachusetts: Blackwell Publishing, 2004:3; 3. Sailer, Christian, Wasner, Susanne. Differential Diagnosis Pocket. Hermosa Beach, CA: Borm Bruckmeir Publishing LLC, 2002:7 .
