thyroid tumor is a common disease in our lives, which is a malignant nodule in thyroid tissue. It brings huge losses to thyroid patients and affects the normal life of patients.
data shows that the incidence rate of thyroid nodules in the general population across the country is as high as 33.55%. That is to say, 3 out of 10 people suffer from thyroid nodules. Thyroid cancer can occur in children under ten to centenarians.
Is thyroid cancer inherited? Thyroid cancer may also be related to diet.
Medullary thyroid carcinoma is divided into two types. One is sporadic, mainly caused by individual diseases, and no disease in other people in the family; the other is familial tendency and related to genetic genes. The clinical symptoms are mainly manifested as neck lumps accompanied by frequent diarrhea, but not everyone in the family will have it.
data shows that among patients with medullary thyroid carcinoma, 5%-10% have a positive family history. The causes of hereditary medullary thyroid carcinoma have been studied quite clearly, and most of them are caused by mutations in the proto-oncogene RET.
In addition, thyroid cancer is also related to excessive or insufficient intake of iodine salt. In an online interview with family doctor, Deputy Chief Physician of the Department of Thyroid Vascular Surgery at Sun Yat-sen University, said that for the vast majority of people in my country, iodine salt should be consumed, because the iodine in iodine salt is trace amounts and is a basic amount.
There is currently no relevant evidence that consumption of iodized salt is directly related to thyroid cancer. However, some scholars believe that excessive iodine intake has a certain relationship with the onset of thyroid cancer. There are reports: The incidence of thyroid cancer in coastal areas such as Shanghai, Shandong, Zhejiang and Guangdong is significantly higher than that inland areas such as Heilongjiang and Jilin.
So, what are the early symptoms of thyroid cancer patients?
1. Pay attention to the shape of goiter. The shape of goiter is generally divided into two major categories. One is butterfly-shaped, and is more common in endemic goiter, thyroiditis and some patients with hyperthyroidism; the other is a round mass appearing in a certain part of the thyroid gland, which is more common in thyroid cyst and thyroid adenoma , and also includes thyroid cancer.
2. Pay attention to the size of the lump. If the mass is diffusely enlarged or multiple nodular enlargement, it is mostly endemic goiter; generally the diameter of a single nodule of a benign tumor or cyst is about 2 cm; if the diameter exceeds 2 cm, it should be suspected to be thyroid cancer.
3. Pay attention to the smoothness and softness of the lump. Use your thumb and index finger to carefully touch the surface of the lump. Those with smooth and consistent surfaces are mostly endemic goiter; those with not very smooth surfaces are likely to be thyroiditis; those with swollen nodules but smooth and even surfaces may be adenomas; those with swollen nodules, not smooth and solid senses should be suspected of cancer.
4. Pay attention to the growth rate of the lump. Endogenous goiter increases slowly, and the course of the disease can last for several years or even decades; benign tumors and cysts can last for several months to several years; the mass of thyroid cancer increases significantly and is faster, and can increase significantly within more than ten days or one or two months.
5. Pay attention to whether lymph nodes can be palpated around the lump. If a harder lymph node can be touched on the neck around the thyroid gland, it should be highly suspected that the thyroid gland is accompanied by local lymph node metastasis.
