Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid is one of the largest endocrine glands in the body. Thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck, just above the collarbone with two lobes joined by a narrow isthmus. The thyroid gland absorbs iodine from the blood and the follicular cells use it to produce thyroid hormone which is important for many body functions.
The thyroid controls the following:

• Rate at which the body burns energy
• Proteins production
• Body's sensitivity to other hormones

Hyperthyroidism (too much thyroid hormone) causes to have a rapid or irregular heartbeat, hungry, be hyperactive, feel nervous. Hypothyroidism (too little thyroid hormone) causes over weight, feel tried. Not getting enough iodine in the diet can cause these thyroid hormonal problems.

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Thyroid cancer is malignant(cancerous) growth of the thyroid gland.
There are four forms of Thyroid cancer:

• Papillary -- grow slowly, may recur, but are not fatal in patients under 45 years of age
• Follicular -- grow slowly, may recur, but are not fatal in patients under 45 years of age
• Medullary -- has a good prognosis if it is restricted to the thyroid gland
• Anaplastic -- fast-growing and respond poorly to therapy

Symptoms

Symptoms of thyroid cancer is any of the following:

• Nodule in the thyroid region of the neck, only upto 5% of these nodules are malignant. Ultrasound is performed to confirm the presence of a nodule
• Enlarged lymph node
• Pain
• Voice Change
• The symptoms of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism

Treatment for thyroid cancer

The usual treatment is two or more of these methods:

• Surgery
• Radioactive iodine treatment
• Thyroid hormone therapy
• External beam radiation therapy
• Chemotherapy

If the curing is not possible, the goal may be to remove or destroy as much of the cancer as possible and to prevent the tumor from growing, spreading, or returning.