Thyroid Cancer - Allvitalpoints Health and Fitness

Thyroid cancer 300x200 Thyroid Cancer

Papillary thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer is not very common. The usual symptoms is the growth of a painless lump or swelling in the throat. The thyroid gland is shaped like a butterfly and is located at the base of the throat, consisting of two lobes sitting on either side of the windpipe. Probably because of the hormonal changes associated with the female reproductive system, women are up to three times more likely to have thyroid cancer than men. Also the risk of developing thyroid cancer is higher for people within the age range of 30 to 50 years.

Its main purpose is to release hormones that have a powerful effect on many of the functions of the human body. These hormones are of three different types, namely triiodothyronine (known as T3), thyroxine (known as T4), and alcitonin. Type T3 and? T4 help regulate how fast the various processes of the body work, such as how quickly the body burns calories, That is the body?s metabolic rate. You will become overactive and lose weight if you have excess T3 and T4 hormones. Conversely, you will feel less active and gain weight if you have too little of T3 and T4 hormones.

Although the calcitonin helps control the levels of calcium in the blood but it is not critical for normal health as the body uses other ways to control calcium. Calcium is a mineral that has many important functions, such as building strong bones.

There are four main types of thyroid cancer. The most popular type is the papillary carcinoma. Papillary thyroid cancer account for 80% of all cases; it mainly affects women under 40 years of age. Papillary and follicular carcinomas (discussed below) have a lot in common, which is while together they are biologically known as differentiated thyroid cancers (DTCs).

The others types are:

  • follicular carcinoma: accounting for 10% of all cases and mainly affects older adults.
  • medullary thyroid carcinoma: accounting for 5%? of all reported cases and? unlike the other types, it tends to run in families.
  • anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: This type is not common but it?s the most aggressive type of thyroid cancer. In most cases it affect older people between the age of 60 to 80 years.

Thyroid Cancer Symptoms

At the early stages of thyroid cancer it does not cause any or has very few symptoms. When it does, the main symptom is the appearance of a usually painless lump or growth in the front of the throat, just below Adam?s apple. Women do also have Adam?s apple, although it is more prominent in men. But a lump in front of your throat is not likely to be the result of thyroid cancer. It is only 5% of all cases of growth or lumps in the throat that are the result of thyroid cancer. In most cases, it is caused by nodules, non-cancerous growth. It?s always best to see your doctor if there is growth or lump in the front of your throat.

When thyroid cancer has reached advanced stage, the other symptoms that may occur include difficulty swallowing, pain in your neck, unexplained hoarseness, difficulty breathing, and pain in your throat.

Thyroid Cancer Causes

The exact cause of thyroid cancer is still not clear. However, it is known that exposure to ionising radiation, especially during childhood, is an important risk factor in a small number of cases. People get exposed to a significant amount of ionisation radiation when they undergo medical treatment involving, for example, X-rays or radiotherapy. The radiation you get from mobile phones is the non-ionising radiation, which is safe.

Thyroid Cancer Treatment

Differentiated thyroid cancers (DTCs) tend to be very slow growing and relatively straightforward to treat. The treatment involves a two-step procedure, the thyroid gland is removed in full or part of it and then iodine, a radioactive chemical, is applied to kill off any remaining cancerous cells with up to 90% chance that the patient will live a normal lifespan.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma does not respond to iodine treatment, which makes it difficult to remove all of the cancerous cells. Successful treatment is therefore difficult to achieve, but it is still a lot better than for most other types of cancer. The survival rates largely depend on how early the cancer was diagnosed. If medullary thyroid carcinoma has spread to other parts of the body before it was diagnosed then only 25% of people living at least five years after diagnosis. But this may well improve in future current trials of medication are showing good results.

However, treatment for anaplastic thyroid carcinoma has an average survival rate of eight months. It is an aggressive type of thyroid cancer with a very poor outlook.

Preventing thyroid cancer

There are two main ways to reduce the risk of thyroid cancer. People that have tested positive for any of the genes that can cause medullary cancer may be advised to undergo precautionary removal of the thyroid gland. If this case, the patient will need be put on replacement hormones for the rest of their life.

The other recommended method to prevent getting thyroid cancer and all other types of cancer is by eating a healthy balanced diet. At least five portions a day of fresh fruit and vegetables and wholegrain, with a low-fat, high-fibre diet is recommended.

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