Thyroid Cancer: A Therapeutic Analysis

Follow up CT, MRI, or PET scans are employed to determine the size of the tumor, the extent of local invasion, and if distant metastasis has already occurred11. This is particularly important because, although all ATC cases are considered Stage IV cancers, the severity of metastasis dictates the course of treatment. Stage IVA cancers are limited to the thyroid and are often treated with surgical resection, if possible. This is followed by radiotherapy and chemotherapy9,11. For most patients, however, the cancer is unresectable. As such, clinicians typically shift their focus towards a combination of radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and palliative care to improve the quality of

There are twelve major types of cancer that affect most Americans and they can be related by the mutation of genes. Cancer is not just one disease, but a massive group with over 100 diseases by unrestrained and vicarious growth of the cells in the body and have the ability of the cells to propagate. One out of every four Americans will die from cancer. It is the second leading cause of death in this country, surpassed only by heart disease. Five to ten percent of cancer are genetic and hereditary. 1.2 million new cases are found in every year the United States, “Men have a one in two lifetime risk of developing cancer, and for women the risk is one in three” (Freivogel 201).

The aggressiveness of each type of thyroid cancer is different. There are four main stages in each of the types of thyroid cancer except for anaplastic cancer (Rubin 91). In the stage I of papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, the cancer is located only in the thyroid and may be found in one or both of the lobes. In stage II if the patients are younger than 45 years of age, the cancer has spread beyond the thyroid. But if the patient is older than 45 years of age, the cancer is only in the thyroid and is larger than 1 centimeter. In stage III, the cancer is usually found in patients older than 45 years of age and has spread outside of the thyroid or has spread to the lymph nodes but not outside of the neck. In stage IV, the cancer is again usually found in patients over the age of 45. It most likely has spread to other parts of the

What is thyroid cancer, and is it dangerous? To answer this one must first know the function of the thyroid. A thyroid is a gland at the front of the neck right under the sound box, which secretes hormones that affect heart rate, body temperature and weight. It also makes calcitonin, which keeps a healthy level of calcium in the body. Thyroids are made up of tissue, when the cells that make up the tissue of the thyroid gland start to form unnecessarily, and cells that are damaged are not killed, tumors called nodules form on the thyroid thus resulting in cancer. Around 45,000 women and 15,000 men were diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2013 alone, most of whom were above the age of 45. However getting thyroid cancer is not the worst thing in the world as it is treatable but there should still be more investment and research put into this disease so that less risky methods of taking out the cancer can be found.

If the gland appears to be enlarged, the physician may order further tests to diagnose or rule out cancer. These tests include: a CT scan or ultrasonography. The ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves that are emitted and received by a transducer that is passed over the neck region. The sound waves penetrate the body, and by electronic readings, the sound waves are arranged on a computer screen into a picture image of the thyroid gland and any tumors (Thackery 1058). Another test used is the thyroid scan. A patient is given radioactive iodine to drink. After the iodine has been absorbed by the thyroid, the patient must lie on his or her back with the neck region positioned under a scanner. The information received by the scanner is then sent to a computer that displays a 2-dimensional image of the thyroid used to identify areas in the thyroid that do not absorb iodine normally (Surks 165). The most accurate diagnostic tool for thyroid cancer is biopsy. The test is done in a hospital operating room under a general anesthesia. A sedative is usually given by an injection about one hour before the procedure. A small incision is made in the neck, and either side of the thyroid or the entire lump is removed. The sample is sent to a laboratory to be examined. If thyroid cancer is detected, the thyroid is removed (Shin 420).

Hypothyroidism is not a disease itself, but is a condition that a disease state causes (Buckley & Schub, 2008). Many of the causes of hypothyroidism are related to autoimmune conditions, where the body attacks itself, rendering the thyroid useless (Raisbeck, 2009). In fact, this is the most common cause of hypothyroidism (Raisbeck, 2009). Second to autoimmune disease is overcorrection of hyperthyroidism by surgery or radiation treatment (Walker, 2009). Thyroidectomy is the third most-prevalent cause, usually for the treatment of cancer

A thyroid nodule is an isolated growth of thyroid cells that forms a lump in your thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland. It is found in the lower front of your neck. This gland sends chemical messengers (hormones) through your blood to all parts of your body. These hormones are important for regulating your body temperature and helping your body use energy. Thyroid nodules are common. Most are not cancerous (benign). You may have one or several nodules.

Each day, hundreds of people find themselves face to face with the word “cancer.” There is an estimate of 4600 new cancer diagnosis each day. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the united states, and is a major health concern worldwide. However, over the past 3 decades the survival rate for all cancers has climbed over 20%.

Most thyroid tumors can be readily diagnosed using histopathologic criteria, which allow the pathologist to differentiate benign from malignant lesions and guarantee an accurate classification for the majority of the variants of carcinomas derived from follicular epithelial cells. However, in most cases, the pathologist is confronted with thyroid lesions in which the distinction between benign and malignant can be quite subtle. The decision favoring one or another has clinical consequences and implies different modalities of treatment. For this reason, the approach to these challenging tumors should include ancillary techniques, immunohistochemistry and molecular profiling, that can improve the standard morphologic assessment (3).

The thyroid is a part of the endocrine system. The thyroid produces two hormones that affect metabolism, heart function and brain development. The hormones also helps regulate body temperature, weight and skin dryness. The two hormones that the thyroid secrets is triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). Thyroid-Stimulation hormone (TSH) is secreated by the pituitary gland, also part of the endocrine system, regulates the production on thyroid hormoes. If thyroid hormones are low the pituitart gland releases more TSH and if the thyroid hormones are hign less TSH is released. If someone is has Hashimoto’s disease the function of the thyroid and pituitary gland is affected and starts to decrease the thyroid hormones in the body and causes the pituitary gland to release more TSH into the

Thyroid nodules are lumps in the thyroid often called adenomas. These adenomas are quite common affecting around seven percent our countries population. These lumps on the thyroid can become very active and thus produce a large amount of thyroid hormone. In some cases hyperthyroidism is brought on by consuming too much medication that treats an underactive thyroid.

They described interesting study report that TBSRTC (The Bethesda system for reporting thyroid cytopathology) for FNAC of thyroid is a definitive diagnostic test to triage patients on the requirement of surgery and to differentiate malignant from non-malignant lesions in children and youth. They conducted a prospective study of 18 months. FNAC was performed on 106 children, mean age was 18.9 years. Majority were female in 20-24 years age group out of 106 patients distribution o f diagnostic category as I-4.7%, II-85.8%, II-4.7%, IV-1.9%, V-0.9%, and VI-2%.

At this time, it is not clear how much diagnostic radiation is contributing to the increase in thyroid cancer cases. It is possible that the increase in the diagnosis of thyroid cancer can be attributed to a greater rate of detection by use of ultrasonography and fine needle aspiration3. The thyroid tissue itself is among the tissues that are less sensitive to radiation, however, thyroid cancer is still such a concern because the thyroid is so superficial in the body1 (77). “Even doses as small as 50–100 mGy have been associated with an increased risk of thyroid malignancy in children, with a

Growth and tumors develop easily in the thyroid. A thyroid has 2 lobes, each side of the tube. You could also start developing blood clots, and other developments. Papillary cancer is a popularly thyroid cancer, and also has lots of symptoms. Some symptoms are coughing, hoarseness, pain in throat, problem swallowing, and swollen lymph nodes.

The two main hormones that the thyroid produces and releases are tri-iodothyronine, T3, and thyroxine, T4. According to the Endocrine Web, “A thyroid that is functioning normally produces approximately 80% T4 and about 20% T3, though T3 is the stronger of the pair” (Sargis, Robert M., 2016, para. 6). Also, thyroid produces calcitonin, which helps control blood calcium level. There are many disorders and diseases that are linked with the thyroid. Having too much or too little of the thyroid hormone is known as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, abnormal thyroid growth, nodules or lumps within the thyroid gland, and thyroid cancer.