Thyroid cancer is a kind of thyroid gland disease. The thyroid  is  a butterfly-shaped gland located in your neck just below the Adam’s apple. It produces hormones for cellular metabolism in the body.

 This type of cancer usually refers to different kinds of malignant tumors, namely: papillary, follicular, medullary and anaplastic. The papillary and follicular tumors are the most commonly seen among people with this type of disease. It is not fatal among patients who are under 45 years of age. It grows slowly and has a tendency to recur. On the other hand, medullary tumors have either a good or a poor prognosis depending on whether the tumor is only restricted to the thyroid gland or has metastasized to other organs, respectively. And the more severe case is the anaplastic tumor because it has a poor prognosis and spreads rapidly. Also, it responds poorly to any type of therapy.

Anybody can get thyroid cancer. But what are the factors that may increase the risk of a person acquiring this disease? Listed below are some of risks:

Risk Factor In Getting Thyroid Cancer

1. History of radiation treatment to the neck or the head.
2. Age between 25 – 65 years old
3. Gender (especially women)
4. Race (Asian)
5. Family History

Warning Signals of  Thyroid Cancer

• Finding a nodule or a lump in the thyroid area is a major sign. Many adults usually have small nodules in  the thyroid. This is often the first symptom, but only 5% of these nodules are malignant.  Nodules can be alarming when they are found in patients under 20 years of age. Benign nodules are less likely to appear in people who are in this age group. Therefore, the potential for malignancy is far greater if it is found in 20 year old individuals.
• Sometimes, some patients notice an enlarged lymph node. In some cases, this appears to be the first sign of this disease.
• A late sign would be pain that is felt in the anterior portion of the neck. 
• A change in the quality or hoarseness of the voice usually follows pain.
• If the patient has existing goiter, a common sign of cancer of the thyroid is the rapid enlargement of the goiter. When this happens, goiter patients usually experience difficulty of swallowing and have a hard time breathing (breathing difficulty).
• Other signs include cervical lymph node enlargement among women.

When you experience any of these symptoms, or when you have a high risk for developing thyroid cancer, you should immediately seek the help of a doctor. Your doctor can order and conduct series of tests to assess your symptoms. If you have cancer, it is also important to know which type so that appropriate treatment can be done.

Diagnosis of Thyriod Cancer

• Fine Needle Biopsy
• Blood tests
• Ultrasound Imaging

Treatment of Thyroid Cancer

• Radioactive Iodine Treatment
• Hormone Therapy
• Thyroidectomy