Understanding and Treatment of Thyroid Cancer

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front part of the neck that secretes hormones and regulates the metabolism, growth, body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, weight, and others. Here is a third hormone secreted by the thyroid gland:

• Triiodothyronin (T3) and thyroxine (T4). These hormones help regulate the body's metabolic rate, such as how fast the burning of calories your body needs. The content of T3 and T4 hormones that excess can make you become overactive and lose weight body, but if the lack of these hormones weight will increase and you feel weak.
• Calcitonin. It is a type of hormone that controls the level of calcium in the blood, which calcium helps in the formation of strong bones. But this hormone is not very important for maintaining health because the body also utilize other means to control the calcium in the blood.

Thyroid cancer itself is a growth of abnormal cells in the thyroid gland. Thyroid cancer is a type of cancer that is quite rare and usually easily cured if found early on.

Thyroid cancer usually occurs in people aged between 35-39 years and also at the age of 70 years and above. Women are more at risk of developing thyroid cancer is two to three times more than men. Although the exact reason for why this happens is still unknown, but it is likely related to hormonal changes in the female reproductive system.

Thyroid cancer is divided into four types, namely:

• Papillary carcinoma. This is the kind of thyroid cancer is the most common (about 60 percent of thyroid cancer cases) and generally affects women at ages under 40 years old.
• Follicular carcinoma. This species occurs about 15 percent of all thyroid cancer cases and tends to occur in the elderly.
• Medullary thyroid carcinoma. This species occurs about 5-8 percent of all cases of thyroid cancer, but this type of thyroid cancer can be hereditary in the family, this is what distinguishes the other types of thyroid cancer.
• Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. This type of thyroid cancer is the rarest and most aggressive. This condition only occurs in 5 percent of cases of thyroid cancer were there and generally occur in people age 60 years and over.

Symptoms What Happens Only In Thyroid Cancer
The main symptom of thyroid cancer is the appearance of a lump or swelling on the front of the neck, more precisely under the Adam's apple, and usually does not hurt. But at an early stage, thyroid cancer rarely causes symptoms and tend to be no symptoms at all.

While the other symptoms of thyroid cancer usually appear after the cancer is advanced into the stadium, such as:

• Sore throat.
• Difficulty in swallowing.
• Change in voice or become hoarse and does not improve after a few weeks.
• Pain in the neck.
• Swollen lymph nodes in the neck.

It should be noted that not all lumps that appear on the thyroid gland caused by thyroid cancer. Only about five percent of the lump in the thyroid gland caused by cancer.

Most of the swelling of the thyroid gland caused by a condition known as goiter. This condition is not cancerous and is caused by hyperthyroidism (too many hormones T3 and T4) and hypothyroidism (deficiency of hormones T3 and T4).

What are the Factors that Increase Risk of Thyroid Cancer Suffer
The exact cause of thyroid cancer in the majority of cases is still unknown, but there are several factors that can increase your risk of developing thyroid cancer, namely:

• Disorders of the thyroid. For people who have had benign thyroid disease, such as inflammation of the thyroid gland, or goiter, more risk of suffering from thyroid cancer. As many as 20 percent of thyroid cancer cases occur in people who have this condition. But sufferers of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism did not increase the risk of thyroid cancer.
• Family health history. Genetic mutations are revealed to be the cause of some cases of thyroid carcinoma menduler. The risk for thyroid cancer increases when someone has a relative who had suffered from thyroid cancer. Be sure to do a blood test to determine whether there is a genetic mutation for those who have relatives with the condition.
• Ever suffered from benign breast disorders. Disorders noncancerous breast, such as breast cysts, are more at risk to develop thyroid cancer than women who have never experienced this condition.
• Height and weight. People who are overweight and adults with a body higher than average, have a higher risk of thyroid cancer.
• Exposure to radiation. Radiation from nuclear or radiation from medical treatment can increase a person's risk of thyroid cancer.
• Indigestion. If you are experiencing digestive disorder called familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP), then you are more at risk of developing thyroid cancer. FAP is a hereditary disease and is usually caused by inheriting the defective gene.
• Food. People who eat too much butter, cheese, and meat is more at risk of developing thyroid cancer. Increase consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables to reduce your risk. People with a body mass index (BMI) is high or if the food you eat contains low iodine also increases the risk of developing thyroid cancer.
• People who undergo radiation and who have had a thyroid disorder will have the iodine content in the body is low.
• Gender. Women are more at risk of 2-3 times more likely to develop thyroid cancer than men. This condition may be related to a hormone that is released when women menstruate monthly or while being pregnant, but not yet enough evidence to be sure of this theory.
• Acromegaly. It is a rare condition in which the body produces too much growth hormone, as a result of people who experience this condition more at risk of thyroid cancer.

It is important to remember that people who have one or more of the above risk factors will not necessarily suffer from thyroid cancer in the future. Some people who suffer from thyroid cancer also did not experience the above risk factors.

Diagnose Thyroid Cancer
To determine the diagnosis of thyroid cancer, the doctor will perform a physical examination as the initial stage of examination. The doctor will also ask about family health history, as well as the symptoms you are experiencing, such as hoarseness that does not go away. Tests were done to diagnose thyroid cancer are:

• Thyroid function tests. It is a type of blood test that serves to check whether the swelling that occurs on your neck caused by other conditions. This test also serves to measure certain hormones in your blood. This test can determine if there is a health problem, such as the condition of hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism condition.
• Fine-needle aspiration cytology. This is an advanced procedure to diagnose thyroid cancer. You do not need to do inpatient hospital to undergo this test. A very small needle is inserted into the lump on the neck to take a sample is then examined under a microscope. This test can determine whether there are cancerous cells and the type of thyroid cancer, if there is one.
• Imaging tests. You may need to perform imaging tests, such as CT scans, ultrasound, or PET (positron emission tomography) to help doctors determine whether a cancer that appeared already spread beyond the thyroid gland.
• Tests for inherited diseases. Your doctor may need to do a genetic test to look for genes that may increase your risk of medullary thyroid cancer.

On Thyroid Cancer Treatment
Treatment performed on thyroid cancer is highly dependent on the type and stage of the cancer that you suffered. The team of doctors of various specialties may need to examine you to determine what type of treatment is best and most suitable to your situation at the time.

Some cancers, such as papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, and most of medullary thyroid carcinoma, have a better chance to heal. This type of thyroid cancer treated with surgical removal of the thyroid gland manner, and may be combined with radiotherapy.

Here are some steps to address the treatment of thyroid cancer.

• Thyroidectomy. This is a procedure removal of the thyroid gland, in part (hemitiroidektomi) or overall (total thyroidectomy). This procedure depends on the type and size of thyroid cancer, and whether it has spread to other body parts. You will be advised to rest for 2-3 weeks after surgery. This is to avoid activities that provide the load on your neck.
• Hormone replacement therapy. You will not be able to produce hormones that regulate the body's metabolic system after thyroidectomy procedures. Therefore you will need lifelong hormone replacement tablets you. Maybe you need to do regular blood tests to monitor the dose adjustment and hormone levels whether it is appropriate for your body.
• Setting calcium levels. Postoperative removal of the thyroid gland, in some cases, the parathyroid glands can be affected. Parathyroid gland function to regulate calcium levels in the blood and is located near the thyroid gland.
• Radioactive iodine treatment. This treatment serves destroy cancer cells that still exist and to prevent reappearance of cancer after your surgery. This treatment can not be combined with hormone replacement therapy because of its effectiveness will be compromised.
• Similarly, people who undergo this procedure should also reduce the consumption of iodine in the diet because it can decrease the effectiveness of treatment in this way. Are advised to avoid all kinds of seafood, reduce the consumption of processed dairy products, and not taking cough medicine, as well as sea salt. Expand the consumption of meat, fruit, vegetables, and rice has a low iodine content.
• Women who are pregnant or breast-feeding is not recommended to undergo this treatment procedure because it could have an effect on the condition of the fetus and infant. You are also advised to use contraceptives place to avoid pregnancy, at least six months after treatment.
• This procedure has no effect on fertility, but can little affect fertility in men.
• Side effects that may occur as a result of this procedure include nausea, dry mouth, dry eyes, as well as the sense of taste and smell are changed.
• External radiotherapy. The procedure where radioactive waves directed at the body part affected. The treatment is typically used to treat advanced stages of cancer or anaplastic thyroid carcinomas. Duration radiotherapy alone depends on the type of cancer and its development. Side effects that are common are nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dry mouth, and pain when swallowing.
• Chemotherapy. This procedure is usually only used to treat anaplastic thyroid carcinoma that has spread to other parts of the body. You will be taking powerful drugs to kill cancer cells. This treatment can rarely anaplastic cancer cure, but it can slow the progression and help relieve symptoms arising from thyroid cancer.
• Some possible side effects that may occur are nausea, vomiting, fatigue, hair loss, mouth ulcers, and loss of appetite. When you are undergoing chemotherapy, you will also be susceptible to infection.

What are the Complications Due Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer that has been treated can recur even your thyroid gland was removed through a surgical procedure. This occurs presumably because cancer cells that have already spread to the outside of the thyroid gland. The reappearance of thyroid cancer usually occurs within five years after surgery, but can also appear for decades after initial treatment of your condition.

This emergence may occur in the lymph nodes in the neck, the thyroid gland tissue that remains at the time of surgery, or other body parts. This condition can be treated and the doctor will usually recommend that you perform thyroid function tests on an ongoing basis to check for the reappearance of thyroid cancer, such as:

• Thyroglobulin test. Thyroglobulin test is a blood test specifically to observe the reappearance of cancer cells. Thyroglobulin is a protein released by the thyroid gland healthy, but this protein also can be released by cancer cells. If the thyroid gland was removed, there should be no longer the exception of thyroglobulin in the blood of cancer cells reappear. This test is quite effective to check whether there reappearance of cancer cells. This test is usually done every six months.
• Ultrasound. Imaging tests can show if there reappearance of cancer in your neck.
• Radioactive iodine test. This test will show the thyroid cells that are cancerous in your body. You will be asked to swallow a bit of radioactive iodine before performing imaging tests. For those of you who are pregnant or breast-feeding, tell your doctor condition before performing this test. This test is usually done 6-8 months after surgery.

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