Things to know about Thyroid cancer

It regulates important functions in the body and any disruption in it causes a lot of health-related issues.  When the body produces more than the optimum amount of thyroid then, it develops a condition called hyperthyroidism. And if the body produces less than the required amount of thyroid hormone then it develops a condition called hypothyroidism. Both conditions cause severe health-related issues and require proper medical treatment. Cancer is a condition where the cells grow uncontrollably and the entire cell cycle gets disturbed. It causes healthy cells into cancerous cells while it spreads.

The thyroid plays a vital role in the body, while producing thyroid hormone it is controls body metabolism. Metabolism helps to transform food into energy. This energy is used throughout the body to keep its function running properly. Further, the thyroid controls metabolism with few specific hormones such as thyroxines also known as T4 as it contains 4 atoms of iodide atoms, triiodothyronine, or T3 it contains three iodide atoms. These two hormones keep the body’s metabolism at optimum amount and any change in its production might cause health issues. To control its production Pituitary Gland produces thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) which keeps a check on the amount of thyroid hormone in the bloodstream.

Thyroid cancer occurs in cells of the thyroid, there are several kinds of thyroid cancer. With the advancement of technology diagnosing thyroid cancer in its beginning stage has become possible which was not possible earlier. Top-class facilities for Thyroid Cancer treatment in Jaipur are available; therefore, there is no need to rush to big cities for treatment.

Symptoms: In the early stages, mostly there are no signs and symptoms of thyroid cancer but as cancer grows it starts to show some symptoms. Some of them include:

• Difficulty in swallowing
• Swollen lymph nodes around the neck
• Excruciating pain in neck and throat
• Increased hoarseness and change in voice
• Trouble in breathing

• Physical Examination: A doctor checks for the general signs of health including lumps swelling in the neck or voice box and check for lymph nodes and if the doctor feels that the lymph nodes is swollen then he recommends other tests just to be sure.
• Laryngoscopy: It is a procedure in which the doctor checks the larynx or the voice box with a laryngoscope. A laryngoscope is a thin tube-like instrument that has a light and a lens on top of it for viewing the thyroid tumor. Sometimes the tumor presses the voice box and the doctor checks if there is any damage to it.
• Blood Hormone Test: In this procedure, the blood sample is checked to measure the hormones present in the blood. An unusual amount of hormones in the blood can be a sign of disease in the organ or tissue. Abnormal levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) which is made in the pituitary glands in the brain.  It stimulates the release of thyroid hormone that controls the growth of thyroid cells.
• Ultrasound: In this high-energy sound waves are used to check the condition of the neck, voice, and larynx. The Echo forms the picture that helps to see if there is any tumor or fluid-filled cysts.
• CT Scan: It is a procedure in which a series of pictures are taken from different angles in order to create a visual image that shows the exact picture of the organ i.e thyroid gland in order to see the condition of the disease.
• Biopsy: In this procedure, with the help of a needle a sample is taken from the swollen lymph node which is then used to examine in a laboratory to see signs of cancerous cells.

Risk factors:

• Females are more prone to thyroid cancer than males.
• Exposure to high levels of radiation leads to a high-level risk of thyroid cancer.
• Inherited genetic syndromes increase the risk of thyroid cancer including familial medullary thyroid cancer and multiple endocrine neoplasia.

Bhagwan Mahaveer cancer hospital and research center have one of the best Cancer center in Udaipur. We have a team of specialized Oncologists and expert Thyroid Cancer doctors in Jaipur, who are always available in case of any emergency or query.