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Cancer Treatment

Thyroid Cancer

What is Thyroid Cancer?

The very uncommon type of cancer, Thyroid Cancer is a disease that leads to growing of abnormal cells in the Thyroid (neck region) of the human body. Resembling the shape of a butterfly, the thyroid gland is located in the front portion of the neck. The gland is responsible for producing hormones that regulate the way human body make use of the energy stored. Thus, when cancer effects this gland, it gets distinguish at the transitional stage and treatments work just fine.

Types of Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid Cancer is divided into several types-

Papillary thyroid cancer: Also known as Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma, Papillary is the most common of the thyroid cancers appear to effect people. In most of the cases, it usually effects children and is marked by an asymptomatic thyroid nodule at the neck district.

Follicular thyroid cancer: Follicular cancer is the disease mostly investigates in the intermediate age group of people. Disturbing fact about Follicular cancer is, it has the potential to advance to other parts of the body like bones and lungs.

Medullary thyroid cancer: It is one of the rare types of thyroid cancers and is usually caused by inherited deficient genes within a family. Medullary thyroid cancer is characterized as a hard mass attend by blood vessel offensive.

Anaplastic Thyroid cancer: Older people are more prone to be getting affect with this type of cancer. Anaplastic thyroid is also decidedly common in women.

Thyroid Lymphoma: Achieve the immune system cells of the thyroid gland; Thyroid Lymphoma cancer usually targets people over 70 years of age.

Causes of Thyroid cancer

A number of rooted conditions of the human body like publicity to radiation, family history of goiter and low levels of iodine can somewhat characterize the causes of thyroid cancer. However, the picture is still not clear as in what generate such changes in the normally functioning of cells.

Symptoms of Thyroid Cancer

There are a lot of symptoms that can be the possible signs of thyroid cancer. Such symptoms are mentioned below:

Swelling in the neck

Lump in the neck sometimes growing quickly

Trouble in swallowing

Trouble in breathing

Pain in the front of the neck, sometimes going up to the ears

Hoarseness or change in the texture of voice that do not go away

Constant cough that is not due to cold

If you come across anyone of them, make a visit to the doctor immediately

Stages of Thyroid cancer

Papillary and Follicular

Stage 1: In the first stage of these two types of Thyroid cancers, the tumor is of any size (commonly a small one) and is present in the thyroid area. There can be opportunity of the infection getting advance to the adjacent lymph nodes and tissues. However, the cancer is not known to be advance to the other parts of the body at the first stage.

Stage 2: This is the second or one can say the ultimate standing in Papillary and Follicular thyroid cancer. At this stage, the cancerous tumor has spread to the other parts of the body like lungs, bones, brain and lymph nodes.

Medullary Thyroid Cancer

Stage 1: In the first stage of the diagnosis of Medullary thyroid cancer, tumor (not more than 2 centimeters) is found in the thyroid region. It has not spread anywhere else.

Stage 2: Two conditions are likely to develop at the second stage-either the tumor has grown more than 2 centimeters, but is still in the thyroid gland, or the cancerous tumor is of any size and has spread to the nearby tissues. Lymph nodes are untouched by the tumor at this stage.

Stage 3: The tumor has made its way to the lymph nodes just near to the trachea and larynx (voice box). Chances of the cancer spreading to tissues just outside are thyroid are also quite possible.

Stage 4: Stage 4 of Medullary thyroid cancer can be explained through various sub stages.

I. Stage IV A: Cancerous tumor has spread to the tissues, outside the thyroid. Trachea, larynx, esophagus and recurrent laryngeal nerve. There lies strong possibility of the cancerous tumor reaching the lymph nodes. At this stage, the tumor has also made its reach to both sides of the neck or between the lungs.

II. Stage IV B: The frontal part of the spiral column or the blood vessels between the lungs is effected by the cancerous tumor.

III. Stage IV C: Tissues outside the thyroid gland, lungs and bones are directly affected by the tumor.

Anaplastic

The stages of Anaplastic thyroid cancer are quite similar to the other types of cancers. It begs to differ only at stage 4, which is explained as below:

Stage IV A: Cancer is present in the thyroid region and chances of it spreading to the lymph nodes are quite high.

Stage IV B: Outside tissues of the thyroid gland are also compromised by the tumor, accompanied by a big possibility of making to the lymph nodes.

Stage IV C: This stage marks the spreading of the tumor to various parts of the human body.

Diagnosis of Thyroid Cancer

Biopsy:In order to be absolutely sure about the cancerous tumor, patients must experience the process of surgery. This is the most factually correct analysis method, in which cells from the apprehensive area are taken out and thoroughly examined under a microscope. Depending upon the position of the lump, your doctor might also advise some other tests.

Imaging Tests

Ultrasound: The process makes use of ultrasonic sound waves to constitute images of body parts. In this, a small appliance known as ‘Transducer’ is placed just in front, on the skin of the neck. Echoes of the sound waves achieve after hitting the thyroid gland are accepted by the instrument, which further displays black and white images of the apprehensive area on the screen.

Radioiodine scan: This is an appropriate type of imaging test, which is carried on to differentiate the type of thyroid cancer the patient has been affecting with. It works for papillary and follicular cancers, but not in medullary. It is only due to the fact that Medullary thyroid cancer cells do not consume iodine.

Chest X-Ray: This is done to check if the thyroid cancer has advance to the lungs or not. Under this, an X-Ray of the chest is taken out.

Computed tomography (CT) scan: It is an appropriate type of x-ray that is done to get detailed cross-sectional images of the human body. CT scan is very much helpful to evaluate if the cancerous tumor has increase to the other parts of the body or not. In short, it tells the doctor about the size and position of the cancer. Unlike the normal x-ray, CT scan takes multiple pictures, by rotating over the patient.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan: Quite like the CT scan, MRI scans also administer useful advice about the cancerous tumor that has made its way to the different parts of the thyroid and body. MRI technique makes use of radio waves and strong magnets to get the images of soft tissues, impressed by the cancer.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scan: This is a special type of diagnosis test for thyroid cancer as it makes use of a radioactive substance. This substance is usually a type of sugar, known as FDG, is implant into the blood line of the patient. After a while, images of the parts achieve by radioactivity are access using a camera. The process is applicable to detect, if the patient has Medullary thyroid cancer as it does not mix up with radioactive iodine.

Blood Tests

Thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH): Also known as Thyrotropin, TSH is used to analysis how the thyroid gland after getting affect with cancer is functional. TSH level in the body would be quite high if the thyroid fails to produce acceptable hormones. In other words, the gland is declared to be infected by the cancer. With the help of this advice, the doctor can assess as to which type of imaging tests are best suited for the patient.

T3 and T4 (thyroid hormones): In order to check the functioning of thyroid gland, the doctor may check T3 and T4 thyroid hormones. Levels of these two hormones usually stay normal, when the gland gets effected by cancer.

Thyroglobulin: Blood tests to check the levels of this particular type of hormone prove beneficial only after the treatment of cancer is done. If the level of Thyroglobulin in the thyroid gland low, then it is a sure sign of the treatment being done properly.

Calcitonin: For the body to use calcium efficiently, calcitonin hormone is released in the thyroid gland. On examining the levels of Calcitonin, possible detection of Medullary thyroid cancer can be done. Recurrence of the cancer after treatment can also be checked by testing the levels of Calcitonin.

Other Test

Vocal cord exam (laryngoscopy): It has also been seen, the vocal cord getting implement by thyroid tumors. In such a case, the agenda of laryngoscopy is carried on to check the functioning of the vocal cords. It associate examining of the vocal cord with the help of appropriate mirrors or an machinery (thin tube with light and lens at the end).

Treatment of Thyroid Cancer

Surgery

In most of thyroid cancer cases, surgery is the most opted solution. There are different types of surgical procedures available, which are mentioned as below:

Lobectomy: This procedure involves removal of the affected lobe, which has been diagnosed of thyroid cancer.

Lymphadenectomy: It involves surgical removal of the lymph nodes in the neck.

Near-total thyroidectomy: The process involves cutting off only a small part of the thyroid gland.

Total Thyroidectomy: The whole thyroid gland is removed in this procedure. It is opted when the cancer has spread to whole of the gland.

Chemotherapy

A highly opted practice to treat all kinds of cancers, chemotherapy makes use of drugs to stop the advance of malign (cancer) cells. While treating thyroid cancer, chemotherapy is given in two disparate ways.

The first method deals with the expenditure of the drug straight from mouth or interject the drug into a vein or muscle (Systematic chemotherapy). Whereas, in the second method, the drug is injected into the cerebrospinal fluid, or the midsection (provincial chemotherapy).

Regional chemotherapy is used to only cure appropriate areas, which have been effected by cancer. Chemotherapy is also extremely vulnerable on the type of thyroid cancer the body is infected with.

Radiation therapy, including radioactive iodine therapy

Making use of high energy x-rays or some other types of radiations to cure cancer are known as Radiation therapy. Medical science describes radiation therapy into two types- constitutional Radiation therapy and external Radiation therapy. In the first alternative, radioactive substance stored in needles, wires or catheter, are used to kill the adverse cancer cells.

In this treatment, the appliance (needles or wire) is placed absolutely to the affected area. Whereas, in the second type of therapy, the doctor uses a machine externally to send radiations to damage cancer cells.

Another method to treat thyroid cancer is by making use of iodine, known as Radioactive Iodine analysis. This method is approved for follicular and papillary thyroid cancers. Under this, the radioactive iodine is absorb through the mouth. When the radioactive iodine gets absorbed by thyroid cells, it destroys cancer cells actual in that region.

Thyroid hormone therapy

This appropriate cancer analysis works to the core of the disease. Advance of cancer cells inside the human body is generate by hormones, and the therapy works to block the actions of them. In order to prevent the body from generating thyroid- appealing hormone (TSH), certain drugs are given to the patient.

As TSH is primarily responsible for the frequency of cancer cells, it is this hormone that is focus by the therapy. As part of the process, thyroid replacement pills are given to the patients.

Targeted therapy

Targeted therapy is a treatment which aggression specific cancer cells, achieve the thyroid gland. The treatment makes use of certain drugs and material to identify and destroy the cancer cells. One such therapy is the Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor therapy, by which signals essential for the advance of tumors can be blocked.

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