Your thyroid gland supports your body’s metabolism humming and plays a key role in your overall well-being. So if you have some type of thyroid disease, you’d know it, right?
Not necessarily, says endocrinologist Mary Vouyiouklis Kellis, MD.
“Knowing your family history can help you stay one step ahead of complications from a thyroid disorder and related conditions,” he says.
But that’s only one thing.
- Does This Mean We Stopped Being Animal and Started Being Human Due to ‘Copy Paste’ Errors?
- The One Lifestyle Choice That Could Reduce Your Heart Disease Risk By More Than 22%
- Aging: This Is What Happens Inside Your Body Right After Exercise
- Immune-Boosting Drink that Mimics Fasting to Reduce Fat – Scientists ‘Were Surprised’ By New Findings
- Gun Violence in America: What They Don’t Talk About at the Debate
According to Dr. Jean-Pierre Jeannon, a Consultant ENT (Ears, Throat and Nose) Surgeon at London Bridge Hospital and Guy’s & St Thomas’s NHS Hospital.
“Patients with thyroid cancer usually have normal thyroid function blood tests,” cautioned Dr Jeannon.
Thus, people should be aware of the physical manifestations of the cancer.
“Thyroid cancer usually presents as a swelling or lump in the front of the neck, next to the ‘Adam’s apple’,” the surgeon added.
Usually the slow-growing, “hard and firm” lump “moves up and down” when swallowing, and the movement tends to be painless.
Another sign of thyroid cancer is “swollen glands (or lymph nodes) in the neck”.
Dr. Jeannon explained:
If the swelling goes away within a couple of weeks, this is usually a sign that your body is fighting infection and is not a cause for concern.
However, if the swelling continues to grow bigger, feels hard to the touch, and does not go away after two weeks, you should see your GP.
Other signs of thyroid cancer include “difficulty swallowing”.
Often paired with a sore throat, difficulty swallowing can be an unpleasant and debilitating symptom.
The expert surgeon highlighted that tonsillitis and/or respiratory infections “are often to blame” for difficulty with swallowing.
Anyway, “if it persists for more than three weeks and grows worse over time”, he recommends visiting your GP to get it checked out. “It can be a sign of thyroid cancer,” he warned.
Strange hoarseness could also be a manifestation of a growing tumor, but it may be due to a bacterial infection.
“If it is persistent and does not go away after three weeks, seek help from your GP,” instructed Dr Jeannon.
One more possible sign of thyroid cancer is “difficult or noisy breathing”.
A new onset of difficulty breathing, with an audible wheezy sound, could indicate an obstructed airway from a thyroid cancer.
You should attend year nearest accident and emergency (A&E) department [if this is the case].
Five main symptoms of thyroid tumor
- Swelling or lump in the front of the neck
- Swollen glands in the neck
- Difficulty swallowing
- Unexplained hoarseness
- Difficulty or noisy breathing
Dr. Jeannon has identify four different types of thyroid tumor:
- Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC)
- Follicular Thyroid Cancer (FTC)
- Medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC)
- Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer (ATC)
Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC)
This is the most common type of thyroid cancer, Dr Jeannon explained, and has “the best prognosis”.
“Over 90 percent of patients with this type of cancer survive,” he revealed.
Follicular Thyroid Cancer (FTC)
This type of thyroid cancer is less common; it’s treated in the same way that PTC is addressed – by a “total thyroidectomy surgery followed by radio-iodine therapy for the more advanced cases”.
- Does This Mean We Stopped Being Animal and Started Being Human Due to ‘Copy Paste’ Errors?
- The One Lifestyle Choice That Could Reduce Your Heart Disease Risk By More Than 22%
- Aging: This Is What Happens Inside Your Body Right After Exercise
- Immune-Boosting Drink that Mimics Fasting to Reduce Fat – Scientists ‘Were Surprised’ By New Findings
- Gun Violence in America: What They Don’t Talk About at the Debate
Medullary Thyroid Cancer (MTC)
MCT “is a rare form often associated with an inherited condition called multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN)”.
To treat MEN, the lymph nodes and the thyroid gland are usually removed during surgery.
Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer (ATC)
ATC is “very rare” and has the “worst prognosis”, usually progressing to fatality.
“Treatment for this rare cancer is palliative chemotherapy,” said Dr Jeannon to Express.