Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid glands are present at the base of the throat; they are made up of two lobes situated on either side of the windpipe. The main function of a thyroid gland is releasing of chemicals called hormones that play a vital role in maintaining the body. They include Thyroxine and Triiodothyronine (well known as T3 and T4). They help in regulating the speed of the body’s function. Calcitonin controls the level of calcium in the blood. The main function of calcium is preventing blood clots and building strong bones. People who have gotten the entire thyroid gland removed will suffer from any after effects caused due to lack of calcitonin.

Common types of thyroid cancer:

• Papillary thyroid cancer: 80% of the thyroid cancer.
• Follicular thyroid cancer: 11% of the thyroid cancer.

Rarer Types:

• Medullary cancer: accounts for 4% of the thyroid cancers,
• Anaplastic cancer: accounts for 1 and 2% of the thyroid cancers, Thyroid lymphoma,

DTC is another type of cancer which is short for differentiated thyroid cancers; these types are usually slow growing and are confined only to the glands. This can be treated by performing a surgery to remove some infected parts combined with radioactive iodine treatment. In some cases it can not be cured completely but they can be treated to delay the spreading of the cancerous cells.

SYMPTOMS

In early years the symptoms are very less and it is difficult to recognise it as a cancer. One major symptom is appearance of a lump in the throat region, right below the Adams apple.
Common symptoms are unexplained hoarseness, difficulty in swallowing, and difficulty in breathing.
Sometimes it can be symptoms of goitre and thus misleading the doctors.

CAUSES

They begin with the variation in the structure of deoxyribonucleic acid, this is called genetic mutation. When the mutation occurs it changes the previous rhythm of functioning. This make the cells reproduce in an uncontrollable way causing a lump of tissues called the cancer tumour. If it is not treated at the time there are chances for it to spread to near by parts generally through lymphatic system. These are nodes that are spread through out the body almost like the blood circulation system and these glands produce specialised cells that are important for the immune system. When the cancer reaches the lymphatic system are possibilities of it reaching other parts of the body.

DTC generally spreads a little later than the other types of cancers. The rarer types are the ones that tend to spread fast; by the time a medullary cancer is identified it would have spread to large areas, anaplastic cancer also tends to spread faster than the rest, tending to spread to the windpipe and sometimes lungs.

DIAGNOSIS

The GP will carry out a thorough physical examination of the neck area and then enquire about the related symptoms. Fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) is the next level of diagnosing the condition.

TREATMENT

Radioactive iodine treatment, Calcium levels, Replacement hormone therapy and Thyroidectomy are few ways to treat this condition.