Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid is a small butterfly shaped gland situated at the base of neck. This gland controls our metabolism by producing those hormones that regulate heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and body weight.

it develops in thyroid gland when cells change abnormally forming a tumour.

it might not show any signs at first but it can lead to severe pain associated with swelling in the neck.

Most cases can be managed with different treatment methods available.

There are several treatment options available to cure bone cancer at Oncoplus Hospital, Delhi.

TYPES

• Papillary thyroid cancer: This is the most common type of thyroid cancer. This type of cancer can occur at any age, but people between 30 to 50 years are affected most.
• Follicular thyroid cancer: Follicular thyroid cancer affects people older than age 50.
• Anaplastic thyroid cancer: Anaplastic is a rare type of thyroid cancer that occurs in adults age 60 and older. This can be the most severe type, because it spreads to other parts of body aggressively however this cancer is rare.
• Medullary thyroid cancer: begins in thyroid cells, which produce the hormone calcitonin and the elevated levels of calcitonin in the blood can indicate medullary thyroid cancer at an early stage.

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WHAT ARE THE SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF THYROID CANCER?

Initially, Thyroid cancer might not show any signs but it can lead to severe pain associated with swelling in the neck.

• Pain in neck and throat
• A lump in the neck
• Difficulty while swallowing
• Vocal changes causing hoarseness in voice
• Cough

CAUSES AND RISK FACTORS

Thyroid cancer develops when cells in the thyroid gland undergo certain genetic changes causing the cells to grow and multiply at fast rate. These cells accumulate abnormally forming a tumour.
However, there are several risk factors that contribute in the development of Thyroid cancer. These are:

• Gender: Women are three times more likely to get thyroid cancer than men
• Age: one can get thyroid cancer at any age. But women are often diagnosed in their 40s and 50s. Men tend to be older -- in their 60s and 70s -- when they find out they have it.
• Radiation Exposure: Children who get radiation therapy for some cancers, such as lymphoma, are at more risk of developing thyroid cancer. Adults exposed to radiation have lower chances of getting it when compared with children.
• Heredity and Genetics: The chances of getting thyroid cancer are higher if anyone in family had this disease.
• Not Enough Iodine in the Diet: Our body needs Iodine to make thyroid hormones. Certain thyroid cancers are more common in parts of the world where people have low levels of iodine.

HOW TO DIAGNOSE THYROID CANCER

Tests used to diagnose thyroid cancer are :

1. Physical examination. The doctor examines neck to feel for physical changes in patient’s thyroid, such as thyroid nodules. He or she may also ask about the family history of thyroid tumors.
2. Blood Tests. Blood tests help determine the functionality of the thyroid gland.
3. Ultrasound. Ultrasound help the doctor to see if a lump is filled with fluid or it is solid. A solid lump is likely to contain cancerous cells. Further tests are required to confirm the diagnosis. The ultrasound also show the size and number of nodules on the thyroid.
4. CT scan. CT Scan uses special X-rays to help the doctor a look inside the thyroid gland. body. It can show the size and location of thyroid cancer and whether it has spread to other parts of the body.
5. Biopsy: Removing a sample of thyroid tissue. samples of suspicious thyroid tissue are removed using needles by the doctor and these samples are sent to the laboratory to look for cancer cells.
6. Radioiodine scan. This scan measures the radiation in thyroid gland or other parts of patient’s body.
7. PET Scan. This scan looks at the changes precisely using small amounts of radioactive material, called radiotracers, a special camera, and a computer to look closely at organs and tissue.

WHAT ARE THE STAGES OF it?

Papillary or Follicular Thyroid Cancer -- Patients below 45 years

• Stage I - Tumour may be of any size also it may have spread to nearby tissues but not to other parts of the body.
• Stage II - At this stage, cancer has spread to other parts of the body such as lungs or bones.

Papillary or Follicular Thyroid Cancer -- Patients above 45 years

• Stage I - The tumour is 2cm in size and limited to thyroid gland only.
• Stage II - Tumour is limited to the thyroid gland but size can be more than 2 cm upto 4 cm.
• Stage III - The size of tumour at this stage is larger than 4 cm and has spread to nearby tissues or nearby lymph nodes.

Stage IV is further divided into three categories:

• Stage IVA - The cancer has spread to skin, larynx, esophagus or trachea.
• Stage IVB - The tumor has grown upto spine or into nearby large blood vessels including carotid arteries. These arteries carry blood to face,brain and neck.
• Stage IVC - The cancer has spread beyond the thyroid upto lungs, bones, and distant lymph nodes.

TREATMENT OPTIONS

Treatment options for Thyroid cancer available at Oncoplus Hospital, Delhi are:

Surgery

Most people with thyroid cancer undergo surgery to remove the thyroid.

• Thyroidectomy: Removing all or most of the thyroid. A surgical intervention to remove the thyroid gland might involve removing all of the thyroid tissue or most of the thyroid tissue.
• Thyroid lobectomy: Removing a portion of the thyroid. During a thyroid lobectomy, the surgeon removes half of the thyroid. It might be recommended in case if patient has a slow-growing thyroid cancer in one part of the thyroid and no suspicious nodules exist in other areas of the thyroid.
• Lymph node dissection: Removing lymph nodes in the neck. The surgeon may also remove nearby lymph nodes in the neck while removing the thyroid.

Thyroid hormone therapy

After thyroidectomy, thyroid hormone medication may be recommended for some patients for life. This therapy is beneficial for patients as these medicines supply the missing hormone patient’s thyroid would normally produce, and suppress the production of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) from the pituitary gland. Because a high TSH levels could stimulate any remaining cancer cells to grow.

Radioactive iodine

Radioactive iodine treatment uses large doses of a form of iodine that is radioactive, which is often used after thyroidectomy to destroy any remaining healthy thyroid tissue. Radioactive iodine treatment may also be used in case thyroid cancer recur.

Radiation therapy

Radiation therapy is given externally using a machine that aims high-energy beams, such as X-rays and protons, at precise points on the patient’s body.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is a drug treatment that uses chemicals to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy is typically given as an infusion through a vein. The chemicals travel throughout the patient’s body, killing quickly growing cells, including cancer cells.

Targeted drug therapy

Targeted drug treatments is a newer treatment that targets only certain parts of cancer cells, to slow or stop growth. This therapy focus on specific abnormalities present within cancer cells. By blocking these abnormalities, targeted drug treatments can cause cancer cells to die.

Injecting alcohol into cancers

Alcohol ablation is used in case of very small tumours, it involves injecting small thyroid cancers with alcohol using imaging such as ultrasound to ensure precise placement of the injection. This causes thyroid cancers to shrink.

Palliative or Supportive care

Palliative care is specialized medical care that focuses on providing relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness. Palliative care specialists work with patient and his/her family to provide an extra layer of support that complements his/her ongoing care.

Consult the cancer specialist at Oncoplus Hospital, Delhi.