Thyroid is a gland present at the base of the neck right below the Adam’s apple. Thyroid gland secretes hormones that regulate the heart beat and maintain the blood pressure, weight and temperature of the body. Thyroid cancer is the condition when cancer cells occur in this gland. There are many different kinds of thyroid cancers that spread slowly or fast but most of them are treatable. Thyroid cancer does not show many symptoms in the early stages.However, due to the new technology and research, it can be detected and treated in the early stages. The current article intends to discuss the causes of thyroid cancer, its symptoms and some of the treatment methods used to cure it.
The type of thyroid cancer cell determines the type of treatment given. The following are the major sub-types of thyroid cancer:
1. Papillary Thyroid Cancer: Papillary Thyroid Cancer is the most common type of cancer that is seen in patients. It occurs when cancerous cells develop in the follicular cells. Follicular cells are the ones that produce and store the thyroid hormone. This type of cancer can happen at any age but it is most common in people between the ages of 30 to 50.
2. Follicular Thyroid Cancer: This type of cancer also occurs in the follicular cells in the thyroid gland. However, unlike Papillary Thyroid Cancer, follicular thyroid cancer usually affects people older than 50 years of age.
3. Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer: Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer is a rare fast spreading thyroid cancer that begins in the follicular cells but soon spreads to other parts.This makes it difficult to treat. It usually happens to people above the age of 60.
4. Medullary Thyroid Cancer: Medullary Thyroid Cancer begins in thyroid cells called Ccells. The C cells produce a hormone called calcitonin. This cancer can be detected at an early stage by doing a blood test as the calcitonin levels will be high in the patient’s bloodstream.
The cancerous cells multiply fast and form a mass called a tumor. This takes place due to genetic mutations in the cells. There are various factors that can increase the risk of developing thyroid cancer in an individual:
1. Sex: Women are more susceptible towards developing thyroid cancer than men.
2. Radiation: Exposure to radiation or some kind of radiation therapy can increase the risk of your developing thyroid cancer.
3. Inherited genetic problems: The genes play a huge role in determining if a person will develop cancer or not as any mutation in the DNA is what causes cancer cells to develop.
The signs and symptoms of thyroid cancer generally do not appear in the initial stages. However in the later stages, a person may notice one or more of the following signs and symptoms:
1. A lump on the neck
2. Changes in the voice: The voice can be hoarse
3. Difficulty in swallowing food
4. Pain in the neck and/ or throat
5. Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
The treatment suggested for thyroid cancer depends upon the size and type of thyroid cancer a person has. The doctor may suggest one or more of the following treatment methods to the patient:
1. If it is the initially stages, the doctor would monitor the growth rate of the tumor through blood tests and ultrasounds of the neck. In some cases, the cancer cells develop but do not grow, and hence do not need treatment. However in others, the cells grow and require treatment.
2. Surgery: If a person has thyroid cell, the doctor would remove the whole or most of the thyroid gland to get rid of the cancer cells. In addition to that, if the cancer has reached some of the lymph nodes, then they will also be removed.
3. Thyroid Hormone Therapy: If the gland is removed in the surgery, the patient will have to provide thyroid hormone to the body from external sources. For this, a person will have to take medicines by mouth or through injections. They can easily buy thyroid hormone medicines and injections online at low cost from 3MEDS.
4. Radioactive Iodine Therapy: One has to consume radioactive iodine in the form of capsule or liquid medicine. It is destroys the abnormal cells that get left behind after the surgery.
5. Chemotherapy and Radiotherapy: Chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment are usually combined together. Radiotherapy is usually provided after the surgery. Chemotherapy is not used for thyroid cancer unless it has spread to neighboring parts in the neck and throat.
6. Supportive Care: The patient may be give medicines to be taken by mouth along with the above mentioned treatments. These medicines include pain killers and other anti-cancer medicines that help with the treatment. The patient can conveniently buy anti-cancer medicines and injection online from 3MEDS.
The most common types of thyroid cancers are not life threatening and can be cured if proper and timely treatment is provided. People with thyroid cancer can go back to living normally once the treatment is over. However, they should stay alert and notice various symptoms because the cancer can recur.They can go for regular check to make sure the cancer cells are detected in the early stages if they recur.
