Information on Thyroid Cancer
The prognosis for someone with thyroid cancer is good compared to other types of cancer. The expected 10-year survival rate is 80 to 90 percent, with the most common and most easily treated type having a nearly 100 percent survival rate. Thyroid cancer is relatively rare, but treatment is readily available and straightforward.
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The Facts
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The thyroid gland is found at the base of your neck and is responsible for making hormones that regulate weight, body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate. Thyroid cancer is relatively rare. According to the American Cancer Society, approximately 37,000 people are diagnosed each year with nearly three times as many women as men diagnosed. The five year survival rate is 97 percent; approximately 1,600 people do die from it each year, however.
Two out of three cases of thyroid cancer strike people between the ages of 20 and 55, so unlike the majority of adult cancers, this one primarily affects younger adults.
Types
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There are four types of thyroid cancer. Papillary is the most common, comprising almost 80 percent of diagnoses; this type usually strikes between the ages of 30 and 50. Follicular thyroid cancer, the second most common at around 15 percent of cases, typically strikes between the ages of 40 and 60. Responsible for 5 to 8 percent of thyroid cancer cases, medullary has a lower cure rate than either papillary or follicular and can strike at any age; though, the older the individual, the less promising the prognosis. Anaplastic thyroid cancer is the rarest of the four accounting for about one percent of all cases, but it is aggressive and hard to treat. Anaplastic thyroid cancer generally strikes people over age 60.
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Symptoms
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Early on, there are seldom any symptoms; however, as the cancer progresses you may notice a lump on the neck or swelling, hoarseness, trouble swallowing or breathing, pain in the throat or neck or a cough not associated with colds or allergies.
Treatment
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Treatment options vary widely depending on the type of cancer you have and the stage. Most people do undergo surgery to remove all or part of the thyroid gland. Sometimes the lymph nodes in your neck are also removed.
Once the thyroid gland is gone, you generally will take hormone replacement indefinitely to make up for the hormones your thyroid used to produce.
You may receive radioactive iodine to make sure no cancer remains behind. The radioactive iodine does have some side effects like dry mouth, nausea and dry eyes.
Other possible treatments include traditional radiation therapy using a machine that concentrates beams at particular places on your body. This type of therapy requires you go five days a week for several weeks. Chemotherapy, which kills cancer cells with chemicals, is another possibility. This is generally administered intravenously.
Prevention
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Prevention is problematic as doctors are unsure what causes thyroid cancer. There are people, however, at higher risk that may choose to make decisions in order to avoid the onset. If you discover through genetic counseling that you have inherited a gene mutation that increases your risk, you may choose to have your thyroid removed before cancer can strike. You may also qualify to receive potassium iodide if you live within 10 miles of a nuclear power plant. Keep the tablets on hand and if a nuclear emergency occurs, you take the tablets to counter any effects on the thyroid from the radiation.
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