Author profile: Zhang Dacheng, a thyroid surgeon, specializes in the diagnosis and treatment of common diseases such as breast hyperplasia, breast nodules, breast fibroadenoma, breast cancer, etc.
thyroid cancer is a malignant tumor that occurs in the thyroid gland and is also the most common malignant tumor in the endocrine system. However, the good news is that thyroid cancer is also the malignant tumor with the best prognosis.
Is thyroid cancer common?
clinically obvious thyroid cancer is not common, but the potential thyroid cancer found through pathological anatomy examination is more than 10% higher than clinically found. In fact, many people suffer from cancer throughout their lives without realizing it.
Therefore, although the incidence of thyroid cancer is not high, the prevalence rate is not low.
Why does the thyroid become cancer?
So far, the cause of most thyroid cancers is unknown, and a small part may be from radiation. Teens under 18 years old receive excessive radioactivity, such as nuclear disasters and atomic bomb victims, which may lead to thyroid cancer. The radiation effect of adults is not great; or those who have received radiation therapy on the neck or above the chest due to other diseases may also be one of the causes of cancer.
has a part of genetic factors: medulla carcinoma has 20% family inheritance. Some breast cancers may be hereditary or may be coexisted with certain tumors ( large intestinal polyps , adenoma, breast cancer).
What are the symptoms of thyroid cancer?
Most thyroid cancers do not have symptoms of abnormal thyroid function and are not easy to detect. When you find that the thyroid gland is enlarged or the lump is felt on the neck, and the lump is getting bigger and bigger, you may suffer from thyroid cancer.
Note: Check whether there are swollen or lumps on the neck, whether there are hoarse voices, dysphagia , weight loss, difficulty breathing or chest discomfort (tumors may compress the nerves, esophagus or trachea). If the above symptoms appear, go to the medical hospital for examination as soon as possible to avoid delays. How to diagnose thyroid cancer?
♦ Physical examination: Palpation
The most common examination is that doctors palpate the nature of thyroid tumors, such as the size, shape, number and hardness of the lump, etc., and can also evaluate whether there is any lymph node enlargement.
♦ Thyroid color ultrasound examination
Thyroid color ultrasound examination is fast, accurate, cheap, painless and safe, and is mainly used in the evaluation of thyroid structure. Determine if it is a cyst? Is it benign or malignant? and number.
♦ Fine needle draw Cytological examination
Fine needle draw cytological examination does not require fasting. However, anticoagulant drugs should be suspended one week before the examination. After the examination, the puncture area should be compressed for 15 minutes.
♦ Thyroid function test
mainly uses blood test, but the results of this test may not necessarily confirm thyroid cancer. The examination indicators include calcitonin and thyroglobulin .
calcitonin can be used as an indicator of early diagnosis of medullary cancer. (Because medullary cancer is derived from parathyroid cells, a type of neuroendocrine cell, which is related to the secretion of calcitonin.)
thyroglobulin is mainly used to track whether thyroid cancer recurs.
♦ Other tests: iodine 131 scan, CT examination, NMR MR.
How to treat thyroid cancer?
♦TSH inhibition treatment and thyroxine replacement treatment;
♦isotope iodine 131 treatment;
♦targeted drug treatment, chemotherapy, palliative treatment, etc.
All thyroid cancers are recommended once diagnosed. Through surgery, not only can the primary lesions be clear, but the tissue type, stage, lymph node metastasis and other conditions of the cancer can also be accurately judged, which has positive significance for future prognosis. For patients who cannot undergo surgical treatment, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or other treatments will be recommended.
How to follow up and follow-up treatment after thyroid cancer?
A sufficient amount of thyroxine is given on weekdays to inhibit the secretion of thyrotropin (TSH inhibitory therapy can indeed reduce cancer recurrence and improve cancer survival rate).
Thyroid globulin (TG) is a very useful tumor marker for differentiated cancers. For patients undergoing total thyroidectomy or subtotal thyroidectomy, they should be checked regularly. If there is an elevation, the possibility of recurrence or metastasis should be suspected.
Breast X-ray should be checked once a year. For radioiodine scanning, TSH is required to be increased before the examination is performed.
This article is original by Ping An Good Doctor. Dr. Zhang Dacheng. If reprinted, please indicate "from Ping An Good Doctor, author: Zhang Dacheng"
