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Types and Treatments of Thyroid Cancer

Types and Treatments of Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer is one of the most common types of cancer. It affects the thyroid gland, located at the base of the throat, which secretes the thyroid hormone. This hormone is essential for metabolism, growth, and maintaining the healthy function of all the organs.

Thyroid cancer is first noticed as a lump in the throat. This lump is caused by cells multiplying uncontrollably due to abnormalities in the DNA. Cancer, if left unchecked, eventually spreads to the surrounding tissues and attacks them. Then it spreads to the other organs. Preventive measures for thyroid cancer can be followed to reduce the chances of it occurring.

Types of thyroid cancer
The four types of thyroid cancer are:

Papillary thyroid cancer
This is the commonly found thyroid cancer in patients. This type of thyroid cancer has a slow growth rate. It may spread to lymph nodes located near the neck area. In 98% of the cases, papillary thyroid cancer can be cured.

Follicular thyroid cancer
Like papillary cancer, follicular cancer can also affect the lymph nodes in the neck, but the chances are lower. This type of cancer is more likely to affect other organs like the bones or the lungs.

Medullary thyroid cancer
This is a rare type of thyroid cancer that usually starts at the upper central lobe. It spreads swiftly to the lymph nodes in the neck and may later affect other organs as well. Exposure to radiation generally does not cause this type of thyroid cancer.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer
Among all the types of thyroid cancers, this is the rarest and the most lethal one. Even preventive measures for thyroid cancer are not that effective in stopping the onset of this disease. Patients are less likely to survive this kind of cancer. Anaplastic thyroid cancer quickly spreads to the lymph nodes and affects the distant organs of the body. At this point, it is usually not possible to remove the cancerous tumor using surgery. Very few patients survive more than three years.

Treatment for thyroid cancer
If preventive measures for thyroid cancer did not yield results and you developed cancer anyway, there are several treatment procedures your doctor can recommend for you. These are dependent on the type of thyroid cancer you have, your age, family history, and other physiological factors. Some of the treatment procedures are:

Surgery
This is the first procedure considered by doctors when thyroid cancer is detected. Depending on the size of the tumor and how far the cancer has spread, part of the thyroid and its surrounding tissue may be removed. In severe cases, the entire thyroid may require removal.

Treatment using radioactive iodine
This is used as a follow-up procedure for thyroidectomy. Radioactive iodine is used to destroy the remaining cancer cells.

Hormone therapy
This therapy is followed in case your thyroid gland had to be surgically removed. It suppresses the TSH hormone secreted by the pituitary gland. TSH promotes the development of thyroid cancer and suppressing this lowers the risk of cancer reappearing.

Most types of thyroid cancers are treatable. Even if the cancer advances to later stages, it is possible to increase life expectancy. It is important not to panic and seek appropriate treatment if diagnosed with this disease.

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