Thyroid Cancer Symptoms, Causes, and Treatments [2024]

Introduction:

Thyroid cancer is a growth of cells that begins in the thyroid. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland that sits at the base of the neck, just below the Adam’s apple. The thyroid gland produces hormones that control heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and weight.

Thyroid cancer may not present any symptoms at first. However, as it grows, it can cause signs and symptoms like neck swelling, voice changes, and difficulty swallowing:

• A lump (nodule) that can be felt through the skin of your neck.

• Feeling that close-fitting shirt collars are becoming too tight.

• Voice changes, such as increased hoarseness.

• Difficulty swallowing 

• Swollen lymph nodes in your neck.

• Pain in the neck and throat.

There are Several Types of Thyroid Cancer, Including:

• Differentiated thyroid cancers: This broad category includes thyroid cancers that originate in the cells that produce and store thyroid hormones. These are called follicular cells. When examined under a microscope, differentiated thyroid cancer cells resemble healthy cells.

• Anaplastic thyroid cancer: This rare type of thyroid cancer spreads rapidly and can be difficult to treat. However, treatments can slow the disease’s progression. Anaplastic thyroid cancer most commonly affects people over the age of 60. It can cause severe signs and symptoms, such as rapid swelling of the neck, which can make breathing and swallowing difficult.

• Medullary thyroid cancer: This rare type of thyroid cancer develops in C cells, which produce the hormone calcitonin. Elevated calcitonin levels in the blood can indicate medullary thyroid cancer in its early stages. Some medullary thyroid cancers are caused by a gene called RET, which is passed down from parents to children. Changes in the RET gene can lead to familial medullary thyroid cancer and multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2. Familial medullary thyroid cancer raises the risk of developing thyroid cancer. Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2 raises the risk of thyroid cancer, adrenal gland cancer, and other types of cancer.

• Other rare types: Other extremely rare types of cancer can begin in the thyroid. Thyroid lymphoma begins in the thyroid’s immune system cells, while thyroid sarcoma begins in the thyroid’s connective tissue cells.

The Following Tests can be Used to Diagnose Thyroid Cancer:

• Physical Examination

• Blood tests.

• Ultrasound.

A Biopsy for Thyroid Nodules Will be Done in One of Two Ways:

• Fine-needle aspiration.
• Surgical biopsy.
• Molecular analysis of the nodule sample.
• Radionuclide scanning.
• X-ray.
• A computed tomography (CT or CAT) scan.
• PET or PET-CT scans.
• Thyroid cancer is a disease characterized by the formation of malignant (cancer) cells in thyroid gland tissues.
• Thyroid nodules are common, but they are typically not cancer.
• There are several types of thyroid cancer.
• Age, gender, and radiation exposure can all increase the risk of developing thyroid cancer.
• A change in a gene passed down from parent to child can cause medullary thyroid cancer.
• Thyroid cancer symptoms include swelling or a lump in the neck.
• Thyroid cancer is diagnosed through tests on the thyroid, neck, and blood.
• Certain factors influence prognosis (the likelihood of recovery) and treatment options.

Treatment Options Overview

• There are six types of standard treatments:

• Clinical trials are being conducted to test new treatment options.

• Treatment for thyroid cancer may result in side effects.
• Patients may want to consider taking part in a clinical trial.
• Patients can enroll in clinical trials before, during, or after starting cancer treatment.
• Follow-up tests may be required.

SurgerySurgery is the most commonly used treatment for thyroid cancer. One of the following procedures can be used: 

•  Lobectomy 
• Near-total thyroidectomy
• Total thyroidectomy.
• Tracheostomy is surgery that creates an opening (stoma) in the windpipe to allow you to breathe. The opening may also be referred to as a tracheostomy.

Radiation therapy includes radioactive iodine therapy. Radiation therapy is a cancer treatment that uses high-energy X-rays or other forms of radiation to kill or prevent cancer cells from growing. There are two kinds of radiation therapy: 

• External Radiation Therapy
• Radiation therapy is administered intraoperatively.
• A radioactive material sealed in needles, seeds, wires, or catheters is used in internal radiation therapy, where the material is inserted into or close to the cancer.

Radiation therapy with iodine (RAI) is sometimes used to treat thyroid cancers, both papillary and follicular. When taken orally, RAI accumulates in any thyroid tissue that is still present, including thyroid cancer cells that have spread to other parts of the body. The RAI kills thyroid tissue and thyroid cancer cells without affecting other tissues because only thyroid tissue absorbs iodine.

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A tiny test dose of RAI is administered to determine whether the tumor absorbs the iodine before the full treatment dose is administered. The kind and stage of the cancer being treated determine how radiation therapy is administered. Thyroid cancer is treated with radioactive iodine (RAI) therapy and external radiation therapy.

Chemotherapy. therapy using thyroid hormones Hormone therapy is a cancer treatment that inhibits the growth of cancer cells by either removing or blocking the action of hormones. The body’s glands produce hormones, which are then carried through the bloodstream. Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), a hormone that can raise the risk that thyroid cancer will spread or recur, can be blocked by medication when treating thyroid cancer. In addition, the thyroid’s ability to produce thyroid hormone is compromised by thyroid cancer treatment, which destroys thyroid cells. Replacement thyroid hormones are administered to patients.

Personalized treatment Drugs or other substances are used in targeted therapy to target and destroy particular cancer cells. Compared to radiation or chemotherapy, targeted therapies typically inflict less damage on normal cells. Targeted therapy comes in various forms: 

• inhibitor of tyrosine kinase: Tyrosine kinase inhibitor treatment inhibits the signals that promote tumor growth. cabozantinib, larotrectinib, entrectinib, pralsetinib, sorafenib, lenvatinib, vandetanib, and selpercatinib
• kinase inhibitor for proteins: The use of protein kinase inhibitor therapy can kill cancer cells by blocking proteins required for cell growth. Patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer who have a specific mutation in the BRAF gene are treated with dabrafenib and trametinib.