10 thyroid cancer essentials to understand
A thyroid cancer diagnosis may be terrifying to hear. But the best way to move forward is to empower yourself with understanding about thyroid cancer and what it means for you.
Here are 10 important facts around thyroid cancer you need to know.
10 Thyroid Cancer Essentials To Understand
What is thyroid cancer?
Thyroid cancer is when cancer develops within the thyroid gland itself. It can include cancer that begins in the thyroid, but may also be secondary to a different form of cancer such as breast, colon or renal cancer.
Thyroid cancer may be one tumour, or it may be multiple tumours. It can also spread to different parts of the body, including the surrounding lymph nodes.
The different forms of thyroid cancer
There are several forms of thyroid cancer. It’s important to identify which form you are dealing with, as it can influence the treatment and management approach.
The major forms include:
Papillary cancer - this is the most common, at around 80-85% of cases. It is generally slow-growing, and has a high survival rate (5 year rate is near 100% for local/regional and 75% for distant)
Follicular cancer - this is around 12% of cases, and is more common in older people. The survival rate is still considered to be quite good, with 5 year rate of 98-99% for local/regional and 63% for distant
Hurthle cell thyroid carcinoma - accounts for around 5% of cases. It is commonly seen in females aged 40+. The 5 year survival rate is between 92-96% depending on gender.
Anaplastic (undifferentiated) thyroid cancer - this accounts for around 3% of cases. It has a much lower survival rate - the 5 year rate is 34% for localised, 9% for regional and 4% for distant.
Medullary thyroid cancer - around 3% of cases. The 5 year survival rate for localised and regional are excellent (90-100%), whereas distant drops to around 40%.
Symptoms of thyroid cancer
Unfortunately, the symptoms of thyroid cancer aren’t straightforward. You may experience little to no symptoms, particularly in the earlier stages.
Thyroid cancer signs can include:
A lump in the neck area
Goitre (enlarged thyroid gland)
Swollen lymph nodes around the neck area
Changes to your voice and hoarseness
Difficulty swallowing
Fatigue/low energy
Thyroid cancer can also cause both hyperthyroid and hypothyroid symptoms. Your thyroid hormones may fluctuate, so blood tests may not accurately reflect what’s going on. This can make it hard to identify unless your GP knows what to look out for.
What increases the risk of thyroid cancer?
We can’t know for sure who will develop thyroid cancer and who won’t. However, there are several known risk factors involved in thyroid cancer.
Known risk factors include:
Genetics/family history
Age (25 to 65 is the most common age group)
Ethnicity (Asian and Pacific Islander populations have a higher risk)
Sex - females are more commonly diagnosed
Environmental exposures including radiation, smoking, alcohol use, endocrine disruptors and heavy metals
Dietary factors - iodine deficiency, pro-inflammatory diet
There are also underlying processes that may be playing a role in the above risk factors. Chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, oxidative stress and hormone imbalances are all potential factors in thyroid cancer development and growth.
Diagnosis of thyroid cancer
Thyroid cancer is typically diagnosed with a combination of ultrasound and fine needle aspiration (FNA). The ultrasound detects the tumour(s), and the FNA aspirates cells to see if they are benign or malignant (cancerous).
If you are looking at thyroid cancer that has metastasized, there may be other diagnosis techniques used to check for other tumour sites such as MRI and PET scans.
Conventional treatment of thyroid cancer
Your treatment will depend on the form, stage and spread. Your specialists will discuss your options with you and why they have been chosen.
The most common treatment options for thyroid cancer include:
Thyroidectomy - partial or full
Surgery - if the spread is local such as the lymph nodes in the neck, this will be done at the same time as the thyroidectomy. However, if the cancer has spread to other locations, additional surgeries may be required.
Radioactive iodine (RAI) - a dose of radioactive iodine is given, which travels to the thyroid cells and destroys them. This is usually in conjunction with a thyroidectomy/removal of the tumours
Radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy - this is typically used for cancer that has spread beyond the thyroid, particularly anaplastic cancer.
Diet and lifestyle can be important supportive measures
While interventions such as surgery can be life-saving, there are still other ways you can take care of yourself during and after treatment. Some of the most overlooked factors are your diet and lifestyle.
Want to know more about nutrition and thyroid cancer? I cover it in more detail here. To learn more about thyroid cancer and lifestyle, give this article a read.
Once you get the all-clear, you still need regular follow-ups
After treatment, you will have follow-up visits regularly to ensure the cancer has not returned. This can include ultrasounds, blood tests (thyroglobulin can indicate the return of thyroid tissue) and a full-body scan to detect any thyroid tissue.
The same goes for your holistic healthcare. Here are my top tips for how to take care of yourself after your thyroid cancer has been treated by your doctors.
After treatment, you’ll likely be hypothyroid
Unless your cancer was early stage and your intervention was a partial thyroidectomy, you’re looking at a permanent hypothyroid state. So you need to be clear on what that means for you – including the symptoms that suggest your medication is not compensating.
A thyroid cancer diagnosis doesn’t mean you are powerless!
When you first hear the ‘c’ word, you might feel like there is nothing you can do but wait for your doctors to fix it for you. And if you’re symptomatic after treatment, you might be uncertain of where to turn.
But you can absolutely thrive after a thyroid cancer diagnosis! Your daily habits can make a massive difference to how you feel. The key is to keep learning about your condition and empowering yourself.
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IMPORTANT NOTE:
This information is not a substitute for medical advice or personalised support from a healthcare practitioner. I always recommend consulting your healthcare professional before making changes to medications, adding supplements, changing your diet or altering your lifestyle.