Thyroid cancer symptoms
Thyroid cancer is the growth of malignant cells in the thyroid gland, consisting of two lobes that cover the trachea at the base of the neck.
There are the main types of thyroid cancer: papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic, undifferentiated.
Most cases of thyroid cancer occur between the ages of 25 and 65;women suffer them more often than men. Although the prognosis of the disease depends heavily on the type of cancer and the age of the patient, the outlook is usually quite good, and the number of deaths is small.
Papillary carcinoma accounts for 60% of all thyroid cancers and affects the youngest people( 50% of patients younger than 40 years).Neoplasm consists of cylindrical cells and tends to grow slowly. Papillary cancer accounts for more than 80 percent of thyroid cancers. Such tumors usually grow very slowly and often take years before the cancer spreads to other areas.
Follicular carcino ma accounts for 15-30% of all cases of thyroid cancer, histologically resembling normal thyroid tissue. The tumor often functions as normal tissue of the thyroid gland, capturing iodine in a TTG-dependent type. Follicular carcinoma is more malignant than papillary cancer, it often gives metastases to the bones, lungs and liver. Follicular cancer, the second most frequent type, is also slowly developing, but like the papillary cancer it can spread to the lungs and to the tissues of the bones.
Undifferentiated carcinoma is 10% of thyroid cancer, affects patients over 50 years of age and is extremely malignant. A rapid growth of a tumor with extensive metastases is characteristic, which leads to death within a few months.
Medullary carcinoma accounts for 5-10% of cases of thyroid cancer. The tumor arises from parafollicular cells( C-cells) secreting calcitonin. Medullar cancer is much more rare;it is more aggressive, but it is curable if it is detected and treated, when it is still restricted exclusively by the thyroid gland.
In a provocative test with intravenous calcium administration, both basal( above 500 pg / ml) and stimulated serum calcitonin concentrations are determined. There is a strong correlation between the degree of increase in calcitonin concentration in the blood after the administration of calcium and the size of the tumor.
Anaplastic cancer is fatal( death usually occurs six months after diagnosis).Fortunately, this is the least common form of thyroid cancer.
Causes of
Treatment of a hereditary diseaseDiagnosis of
In most cases of thyroid cancer, the concentration of TSH and thyroid hormones( T4, T3) remains within normal limits. However, with metastases of thyroid cancer that produce thyroid hormones, their content in the blood can be increased, and the concentration of TSH is reduced, with the development of clinical signs of hyperthyroidism. The blood concentration of thyroglobulin is increased. In thyroid cancer, there is a direct relationship between the concentration of thyroglobulin in the blood and the risk of metastasis( the greater the thyroglobulin level, the higher the probability of having metastases).
Symptoms of
Respiratory DistortionTreatment of
withCancer The determination of thyroglobulin concentration in dynamics allows one to evaluate the effectiveness of surgical treatment of thyroid tumors. A persistent and steady decline in thyroglobulin in the blood during the postoperative period indicates a radical surgical treatment. The temporary decrease in thyroglobulin concentration in the blood in the postoperative period and the increase in concentration subsequently indicates a non-selectivity of tumor removal or the presence of metastases. Determining the concentration of thyroglobulin in the blood in the postoperative period should be done every 4-6 weeks. His research replaces conventional radionuclide scanning in such patients.
• Thyroid removal requires the administration of the thyroid hormone( thyroxine) throughout life, which also reduces the risk of recurrence of cancer.