The doctor explained that thyroid nodules are a high-incidence disease among young people and are relatively common. The most important thing now is to find out whether Xiao Yang’s thyroid nodules are benign or malignant, so there is no need to worry too much.

Last week, the unit organized a physical examination and Xiao Yang was detected in thyroid nodules . When Xiao Yang learned of this result, he was very panicked and thought that his life was not long before. He was worried all day long and hurried to the hospital for treatment.

Doctor explained that thyroid nodules are a high-incidence disease among young people and are relatively common. The most important thing now is to find out whether Xiao Yang’s thyroid nodules are benign or malignant, so there is no need to worry too much. After listening to the doctor's words, Xiao Yang calmed down.

1. Thyroid cancer is becoming more and more common, especially "favoring" women

In fact, it is not without reason why Xiao Yang is so worried. In recent years, the incidence of thyroid cancer has indeed continued to increase, especially among the middle-aged and young people, the growth momentum has accelerated a lot.

Authoritative data shows that in 2020, there were 590,000 new cases of thyroid cancer worldwide, and thyroid cancer also ranked among the top 10 new cases of cancer. At the same time, the incidence of thyroid cancer in my country is also not low, with 220,000 new cases in 2020. Among them, thyroid cancer seems to be particularly favored by women, and in 2020, there were 450,000 new cases of thyroid cancer in women around the world.

Although thyroid cancer is also called the "goodest cancer" due to slow growth, low malignancy and high cure rate, it should be noted that the "kindness" of thyroid cancer is based on the early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment of . If it is delayed for a long time or the condition develops to the later stage, thyroid cancer will also be "harsh", affecting the patient's survival.

Therefore, timely discovering early symptoms of thyroid cancer is of great significance to the treatment effect of thyroid cancer.

2. Pay attention to physical abnormalities and beware of the arrival of thyroid cancer quietly

So, what abnormal changes will occur in the body when thyroid cancer comes?

. A lump or nodule

When touching the neck with your hands, obvious lump or nodule is found, which is not painful, unclear, rough edges, hard texture, and poor mobility. If the lump or nodule grows rapidly in a short period of time, it should be taken seriously.

. Radiation pain occurs on the neck

. During the continuous growth of the lump, the neural tissue around the thyroid will be stimulated to a certain extent, causing the pain to radiate to the ears, shoulders, back and other parts.

. Hoarse voice

Thyroid lumps continue to increase, which will cause compression to the recurrent laryngeal nerve, resulting in hoarse voice and difficulty in making voices. Some patients may also experience esophageal mass being compressed, resulting in dysphagia . The lump may even compress the trachea, affecting normal breathing, causing chest tightness, , , and chest bloating.

. Fatigue and thinness

The thyroid gland has the function of regulating the body's energy metabolism. When the thyroid gland changes, the normal physiological activities of the human body will also be affected, resulting in physiological disorders, causing systemic symptoms such as fatigue and thinness.

3. Will thyroid nodules become cancer?

Clinically, patients who have been diagnosed with thyroid nodules are often shocked and afraid of developing thyroid cancer. Actually, there is no need to worry so much.

First of all, we need to know why thyroid nodules grow. The thyroid gland belongs to the endocrine organ . Modern people live a fast pace and have high life pressure, and are prone to endocrine disorders, which produces adverse stimulation to the thyroid gland and leads to the occurrence of lesions. In addition, environmental factors, mental factors, etc. are also inseparable from the occurrence of thyroid nodules.

When you find that you have suspected symptoms of thyroid nodules, you should go to the hospital to screen for thyroid nodules. The first choice for the examination is color ultrasound , which has a high accuracy rate. If the situation is abnormal, further CT, MRI and other checks should be performed.

After diagnosing the benign and malignant thyroid nodules, if it is a benign nodule of , the chance of malignancy is small, and you can treat conservatively, adjust your lifestyle, relax your mood, and follow up and observe regularly every year. If it is malignant, you should consult a doctor and perform surgery in a timely manner based on the actual situation to prevent the disease from further developing.

Generally speaking, thyroid nodules with a high probability of malignancy usually have the following characteristics: has a rich blood flow supply; nodules are solid; nodules are low echo; aspect ratio>1; nodules are unclear and irregular; gravel-like calcification , etc. If it is suspected to be malignant, fine needle aspiration and biopsy are required to obtain the pathology, and the final pathological results are the gold standard.

Will thyroid nodules develop into thyroid cancer? This is a problem that many patients with thyroid nodules encounter. In fact, clinically, only 5% of are malignant, and there is also a follicular adenoma, which requires surgical resection.

In this regard, in addition to the need for timely intervention of malignant nodules, , director of the Thyroid Center of Beijing Tongren Hospital, Fang Jugao, suggested that thyroid nodules in the following three situations also need to be considered for surgery:

① Nodules grow rapidly, or previous nodules suddenly increase in the short term ; in infants and toddlers, there was a history of radiation contact in the thyroid area or neck; in the family, there was a history of thyroid cancer, especially medullary cancer.

② has a sense of local pressure, or combined with hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, etc., and even difficulty breathing.

③ Thyroid nodules have a hard texture, poor dynamics ; cervical lymph nodes are swollen .

4. How to protect our thyroid gland?

Protecting our thyroid gland is actually very simple, that is, starting from avoiding the causes of thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer.

. Stay away from environmental pollution

Environmental factors such as soil, water sources, and air are closely related to the occurrence of thyroid disease . If there is serious pollution in the environment we live in, it will also have an adverse impact on thyroid health. Therefore, to protect the thyroid, you must stay away from harmful chemicals, ionizing radiation, etc.

. Develop reasonable dietary habits

dietary intake of iodine should be controlled, neither too much nor too little, and at the same time, you should consume enough protein to obtain it from meat, eggs, milk and other foods. You should also eat more fresh vegetables and fruits to supplement enough vitamins. Finally, eat less greasy, fried, spicy foods, and so on, and don’t drink alcohol.

. Maintain a happy mood

The occurrence of thyroid disease is related to emotional disorders. It is often in bad moods, and the endocrine disorder will be disordered, affecting the normal function of the thyroid. Maintaining a happy mood and learning to reasonably relieve stress and vent bad emotions are conducive to protecting the thyroid gland and preventing thyroid diseases.

. Learn to combine work and rest, avoid overworking

Although life pressure is very high, don’t make yourself too tired. Overworking can easily reduce immunity, put the thyroid in an unstable state, increase the burden on the thyroid, and lead to the occurrence of diseases. Learning to relax and rest moderately is a healthy lifestyle.

In short, if you find a thyroid nodule in physical examination, you must first stabilize your mood and not worry too much. Of course, you must also be vigilant. First, you must detect the benign and malignant nature of the thyroid nodule, and then actively cooperate with the treatment according to the doctor's diagnosis. The most important thing is that developing a healthy lifestyle is the best way to protect the thyroid gland.#Health Science Popularization Competition# #Jiu Zero Plan#

Reference materials:

[1] "Treasure Book of Popular Science Knowledge for Thyroid Cancer". Fudan University Affiliated Cancer Hospital .2018-05-25

[2] "How far is "thyroid nodules" from cancer? 16 questions and answers to eliminate all doubts". Beijing Yitong .2019-03-26

[3] "Thyroid nodules are not far from cancer? ! Don't be anxious. Experts teach you how to understand B-ultrasound orders. 2020-12-24

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