The thyroid is a small, butterfly-structured gland at the base of the neck. It’s responsible for the hormones that control your heart rate, blood pressure, temperature and metabolism.
When thyroid cells grow abnormally, they can beget thyroid cancer. But because symptoms are vague and may mimic other less-serious conditions, it’s possible you could have thyroid cancer for months or indeed times without knowing it.
Thyroid cancer surgeon Nancy Perrier,M.D., explains how thyroid cancer can go unnoticed – and what you can do to catch it beforehand when it’s easiest to treat.
Thyroid cancer symptoms can go unnoticed
Unfortunately, thyroid cancer does n’t have numerous egregious symptoms, and they can vary from person to person. Some signs of thyroid cancer include
- a lump in the front of the neck
- blown thyroid or swelling in the neck
- pain in the front of the neck that may stretch to the cognizance
- coarse voice
- trouble breathing
- patient cough
- problems swallowing
Still, see your health care provider to have them checked out, If you witness any of these symptoms for three weeks or longer.
Accurate opinion is crucial
Because thyroid cancer symptoms may also be associated with other conditions, like enlarged lymph bumps in the neck, thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s complaint, an accurate opinion is important. There are several tests your health care provider may use to find out if you have thyroid cancer.
The first thing they ’ll probably do is perform a physical test, to feel for any lumps or swelling in the neck. establishment nodes that do n’t go down may be cause for concern. Soft, short- lasting nodes do n’t generally beget problems.
After a physical test, your care platoon will probably perform :
- Imaging examinations Ultrasound and latterly a CT checkup may be used to get a better look at the size, shape and position of thyroid nodes. These examinations can also show if thyroid cancer has spread to lymph bumps or other areas of the body.
- Biopsy If the original imaging shows a implicit excrescence, a vivisection may be used to remove a small number of cells so a pathologist can look at them under a microscope.
Still, it’s important to seek care from a cancer center with thyroid cancer specialists to get an accurate opinion, If the vivisection and imaging examinations suggest you have thyroid cancer. For illustration, you may have several nodes, but if the wrong bone is biopsied and supposed benign, a cancerous bump may get overlooked and beget problems in the future.
At MD Anderson, we’ve a platoon of pathologists who simply look at thyroid cancer all day, every day.
Certain types of thyroid cancer can grow sluggishly
Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common and least aggressive type of thyroid cancer. It can do in one or both thyroid lobes and can grow over several times. Certain people may be at threat for papillary thyroid cancer, like those with some types of youthful- onset colon cancer.
Cases diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer frequently have symptoms that they dismiss for times until entering a opinion.
Other, less common types of thyroid cancer, like anaplastic thyroid cancer or inadequately discerned thyroid cancer, are more aggressive. They tend to present as a large lump that shows up suddenly over a many weeks or months.
Thyroid cancer does n’t always need treatment right down
Still, cases may choose to take a watch- and- stay approach, where their care platoon will cover the lump for any changes before moving forward with treatment, If a thyroid bump is n’t causing problems.
Utmost of the time, when cases go to get a lump checked out, it’s formerly causing trouble breathing or swallowing. In this case, the most common treatment is surgery to remove part or all of the thyroid.
Cases with inheritable mutations – especially children at high threat for thyroid cancer – may live for times before demanding treatment. We cover these cases with ultrasounds and lab work.
It’s occasionally better to let the body release thyroid hormones naturally for as long as possible before moving forward with treatment. But, if we know someone is at high threat for developing thyroid cancer, we can watch them nearly and, if demanded, remove the thyroid snappily, before the complaint has a chance to spread.
Seek treatment from thyroid cancer experts
Don’t worry too much to get an alternate opinion. You want the right treatment at the right time from the right place. The thyroid is such a delicate gland, and it’s in a veritably grueling area. So, it’s vital to seek treatment from experts who have experience treating – and removing – the excrescence so you can achieve the stylish quality of life possible.