Symptoms Of Thyroid Cancer - Thyroid - Thyroid Cancer - Where Is Thyroid - Thyroid Carcinoma - What Is Thyroid Cancer - Treatment For Thyroid Cancer

The thyroid is one of the biggest endocrine glands in the human body. Other endocrine glands include the pituitary and adrenal glands. Endocrine glands are responsible for secreting types of hormones to regulate the many different functions of an organism. These functions can range from growth and development, mood, tissue function, and metabolism. The thyroid is butterfly-shaped and consists of two cone-shaped lobes (left and right lobe). It is situated in the frontal part of the neck and lays against the larynx and trachea.

Under a microscope, there are three identifiable features of the thyroid: follicles, thyroid epithelial cells (follicular cells), and para follicular cells (C cells). The main functions of the thyroid are to regulate hormones that control blood pressure, heart rate, weight, and temperature.

Thyroid Cancer Causes: Currently, researchers are still investigating thyroid cancer causes to better understand how and why people contract this disease. Although there is a somewhat significant understanding about what gives a person an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer, such as gender and age, there are no absolutely clear thyroid cancer causes. Researchers have made several steps in discovering the nature of cancer, and they understand that cancer is generally the result of DNA in thyroid cells becoming damaged and dividing into new, similarly damaged cells. Also, there are certain genes inside a person's DNA that prevent rapid cell division from taking place. If these genes are turned off, cells can begin dividing uncontrollably, forming tumors. There is no clear understanding as to why this happens, and many of these DNA mutations occur for apparently no reason at all, though it could be a result of one's environment. Papillary Thyroid Cancer Causes:
DNA mutations have been discovered in cases of papillary thyroid cancer. These mutations have been localized by scientists in the RET gene. The damaged version of this gene is found in about 10 to 30 percent of all cases of papillary thyroid cancer. Children have a higher risk of possessing these DNA mutations. RET mutations are thought to be caused by the environment, and are not present from birth. About 30 to 70 percent of papillary thyroid cancers show evidence of a mutation in what is called the BRAF gene. This is a type of mutation that rarely occurs in children, and is suspected to be caused by exposure to large amounts of radiation. These types of mutations cause cancers to grow very rapidly and in most cases, usually spread to other parts of the body during the cancer's progression. Other gene mutations included in papillary thyroid cancer causes are the NTRK1 gene and MET gene.
Follicular Thyroid Cancer Causes: In almost all instances of follicular thyroid cancer, mutation of the RAS oncogene has been reported.
Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Causes: Anaplastic thyroid cancers usually have a mutation like the ones described above, but in addition, changes in the p53 tumor suppressor gene are also apparent.
Medullary Thyroid Cancer Causes: Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is a type of thyroid cancer that is caused by several types of mutations in the RET gene, similar to mutations that cause papillary carcinoma. Inherited MTC almost always has this evidence, and 20 percent of patients with non-inherited MTC have the RET gene mutation. Other types of mutations may also cause MTC. Usually, patients can be tested for these mutations in any cell in their body, usually through testing DNA in the blood.

Symptoms of Thyroid Cancer: Your thyroid is one of the largest endocrine glands in your body. It is situated in the frontal (anterior) portion of the neck and consists of two lobes that give it a butterfly-like shape. Its sole purpose is to make thyroid hormones which regulates the body's metabolism and thus the thyroid affects nearly every tissue in the body. The earliest symptoms of thyroid cancer include a lump in the neck, usually in close proximity to the Adam's apple; voice hoarseness or a change in the sound of a person's voice; noticeably swollen lymph nodes in the neck; difficulty swallowing or even breathing; and a pain in the back of the throat or in the neck area. However, despite its widespread reach, the signs and symptoms of thyroid cancer are surprisingly nondescript. Thyroid cancer symptoms can range from hoarseness of the voice, neck pain, enlargement of the lymph nodes and thyroid gland. All of these thyroid cancer symptoms can be commonly associated with a wide array of less serious diseases. It is important to remember that the following symptoms of thyroid cancer are not conclusive diagnostic indicators. The signs and symptoms of thyroid cancer are similar to those of other thyroid complications and the best advice is to visit your doctor about any possible thyroid cancer symptoms. Usually, the symptoms of thyroid cancer arise far too late to prevent the onset of it; however, excluding the anaplastic variant, thyroid cancer is easily curable.
It is also important to note that the majority of people who experience thyroid cancer symptoms do not have cancer. About 99% of all lumps or nodules are not cancerous, and therefore are not actually thyroid cancer symptoms. In addition, most people will not experience symptoms of thyroid cancer until it is in a more advanced stage. Your doctor must perform the necessary diagnostics to determine if you have thyroid cancer

Thyroid Cancer Prevention: Most patients who have been diagnosed with thyroid cancer had no known risk factors. Researchers are still trying to determine what the exact cause of thyroid cancer is, but until then, methods of effective thyroid cancer prevention are currently unknown. The one thing researchers do know is that few cases of thyroid cancer have been linked to large amounts of radiation exposure. Many scientists also believe that radiation exposure during a person's childhood puts a person even more at risk for developing thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer prevention usually involves limiting children's exposure to x rays and other forms of radiation, unless it is mandatory. Currently, another step toward further thyroid cancer prevention is the MTC genetic blood test. This is a blood test given to people to determine if they have a gene mutation that is known to be linked to thyroid cancer. If a person is found to be at risk of MTC, he or she can have their thyroid gland removed to ensure prevention of the MTC form of thyroid cancer. In addition, if this mutation is found in one family member, it is highly recommended by doctors that all untested family members be screened for the mutation as well. This is because research suggests that this gene mutation runs through the family. Parent's who have the mutation are likely to pass it down to their children.
If a person knows that his or her family members have had MTC genetic mutations, he or she should think about receiving the blood test to determine if he or she is at risk. Contacting a genetic counselor will allow the person to receive further information about thyroid cancer and what the procedure involves. These are the only methods of thyroid cancer prevention that have been proven to be effective so far. Gene research is continuing, however, with the hopes of finding further breakthroughs in thyroid cancer

Thyroid Cancer Screening: Fortunately, many cases of thyroid cancer are found quite early; much more so than in the past. In a lot of these cases, early thyroid cancer screening can lead to a successful treatment. Thyroid cancer is usually tested for after patients find obvious symptoms of early thyroid cancer. These early symptoms usually come in the form of bumps or nodules. Routine checkups are also an effective way of undergoing thyroid cancer screening. Although it is quite uncommon, some thyroid cancers fail to show symptoms until more advanced stages of the disease. This is usually not the case, however, and a thyroid cancer screening will often be a useful and effective tool to find cases of thyroid cancer. Patients who are developing thyroid cancer commonly develop a lump or an unusual swelling in their neck. If these symptoms do not go away on their own, patients are recommended to receive a thyroid cancer screening and cancer-focused checkup with their physicians. Since this practice is generally quite typical of thyroid cancer cases, doctors recommend that people check for any abnormalities in their neck at least twice a year, as this can be a sign of thyroid cancer or another serious disease.New advances in ultrasound technology allow doctors to screen for thyroid cancer. An ultra sound is a device that uses power sound waves to create an image on a monitor. An endoscopic ultrasound is an ultrasound device that is put inside a persons body to gain an even more accurate image of the area of the thyroid. If a cyst or another abnormality is found, a doctor may begin further tests for thyroid cancer. Unrelated health problems can also lead to the detection of thyroid cancer. Some people may experience other problems in their neck area, such as carotid arteries, which is a condition where the arteries that supply blood to the brain in the neck become narrower. If a person has an ultrasound test for another condition, such as this, in the neck, thyroid cancer may be discovered. These are common ways for physicians to find thyroid cancer in its early stages, but doctors do not usually recommend ultrasound tests or blood tests unless a patient has a family history of thyroid conditions. Genetic testing is another common form of thyroid cancer screening, although it does not always prove that a person will get thyroid cancer; rather it determines if they are at a high risk for developing it. Patients who have a family history of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) usually receive genetic testing to discover if they are at risk. These tests are usually done when a person is very young. Blood tests can also find this abnormality, but they are generally used to detect the presence of the cancer

Thyroid Cancer Staging: Like most other cancers, thyroid f="http://www.saygeneral.com"> cancer staging is organized based on the TNM system created by the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC). In this system, T represents the size of the primary tumor and how it has spread to nearby tissues. N indicates whether the tumor has spread to nearby lymph nodes (glands of the immune system used to fight infection), and M describes if the cancer has metastasized (spread to distant regions of the body). In the thyroid cancer staging system, the numbers appearing after the three letters describe how much the tumor has progressed in each one of those categories. After each attribute of the tumor has been identified, the tumor can then be placed in one of four different stages from I to IV, IV being the most advanced in the thyroid cancer

T1a: The tumor is 1 centimeter across and has not yet grown out of the thyroid.
T1b: The tumor is larger than 1 centimeter and has not yet grown out of the thyroid.
T2: The tumor is between 2 centimeters and 4 centimeters in diameter, but has not yet grown out of the thyroid.
T3: The tumor is larger than 4 centimeters in diameter and has begun growing into nearby tissue next to the thyroid.
T4a: The tumor is of any size and has grown far beyond just the thyroid gland and into other tissue inside the neck, larynx, trachea, and esophagus. This is considered to be a moderately advanced category in the thyroid staging system.
T4b: The tumor is of any size and has grown to the spine and into nearby major blood vessels. This is known as very advanced disease.
N Category in the Thyroid Cancer Staging System:
NX: Lymph nodes nearby could not be assessed.
N0: There is no evidence that the lymph nodes have been invaded by the tumor.
N1: The cancer is found to have spread to nearby lymph nodes.
N1a: The lymph nodes around the neck area have been invaded by the tumor. Lymph nodes include pretracheal, paratracheal, and prelaryngeal.
N1b: Lymph nodes further from the thyroid have been affected, including the retropharyngeal (near the throat) and the superior mediastinal, which are located in the chest.
M Category in the Thyroid Cancer Staging System:
MX: Metastasis was unable to be assessed.
M0: There is no evidence that the tumor has spread to distant parts of the body.
M1: Metastasis has occurred, including distant lymph nodes and other internal organs.
Stages: After a doctor assesses the three categories above, they are placed together to determine the stage that the cancer is classified under. The stage is determined by several factors, including the type of thyroid cancer the patient has, and the attributes of the TNM categories. Stage I is the earliest form of the cancer while stage IV is the most advanced step of the cancer.