Thyroid Cancer Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

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Thyroid Cancer Definition, Reason, Symptoms, Treatment & Prevention

Understanding

Thyroid cancer is a disease characterized by the growth of malignant tumor cells in the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is an organ located in the front of the neck. This gland functions to produce the hormone thyroxine which plays a role in the body’s metabolism. Under normal circumstances, the thyroid gland is not visible or palpable on external examination.

There are four types of thyroid cancer, namely:

  • Papillary carcinoma is the most common type of thyroid cancer. This cancer is most common in women under the age of 40.
  • Follicular carcinoma, one in 10 cases of thyroid cancer is the follicular type.
  • Medullary carcinoma is a rare type of thyroid cancer.
  • Anaplastic carcinoma, this type of cancer is the rarest thyroid cancer, but the most malignant type. It generally occurs in those aged 60 years and over.

Symptoms

In its early stages, thyroid cancer rarely causes symptoms. Entering the advanced stage, some new symptoms begin to appear. The main symptom of thyroid cancer is the appearance of an increasingly enlarged lump in the front of the neck. Lumps due to thyroid cancer are generally painless, feel hard, and difficult to move.

Another symptom of thyroid cancer is a hoarse voice that doesn’t get better after a few weeks. Apart from that, sufferers will also feel a prolonged sore throat, pain in the neck area, difficulty swallowing, and difficulty breathing.

Reason

Thyroid cancer occurs due to changes in DNA in cells in the thyroid gland that cause cells to multiply uncontrollably. The cause of this change in DNA is not yet known.

However, there are several conditions that make a person more susceptible to this disease, namely:

  • A disease of the thyroid gland, such as inflammation of the thyroid gland (thyroiditis) or goiter due to iodine deficiency.
  • There is a family history of thyroid cancer.
  • There is a history of previous radiation treatment.
  • Obesity
  • Excess growth hormone (growth hormone).

Diagnosis

During the initial examination, the doctor will feel the thyroid gland. If you feel enlarged and hard, the doctor will ask the patient to do an ultrasound examination of the thyroid to measure the size of the thyroid gland and detect a tumor.

If a suspicious form of the thyroid gland is found in the direction of thyroid cancer, the doctor will do a biopsy of the thyroid gland. The tissue sample from the biopsy will be examined under a microscope to see if there are malignant cells.

Treatment

Thyroid cancer treatment depends on the type of cancer cells and their stage. In general, the treatments used to treat thyroid cancer are:

  • Thyroidectomy surgery, which is the surgical removal of the entire thyroid gland to remove all cancer cells.
  • Treatment with radioactive iodine, which is done by ingesting the radioactive iodine. This substance will spread throughout the bloodstream and kill cancer cells.
  • Radiotherapy or radiation, namely irradiation from the outside to the neck area to kill cancer cells in the thyroid gland.
  • Chemotherapy, which is given through an IV to kill cancer cells.

Prevention

Until now there is no action that can be done to prevent thyroid cancer.

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