Thyroid Cancer Research Paper

Since prevention is the most significant cancer preventing tool, it is essential that cancer be discovered as soon as possible prior to infecting the whole body. The symptoms of cancer will depend based on the location, size, and how greatly it influences the organs or tissues. If a cancer cell has extended over large area of the body, then symptoms will definitely appear in various parts of the body. When a cancer

According to The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis begins with a physical exam and medical history. A goiter, nodules, or growths may be found during a physical exam, and symptoms may suggest hypothyroidism. Health care providers will then perform blood tests to confirm the diagnosis. Diagnostic blood tests may include the TSH, which, if above normal lab values, means a patient has hypothyroidism. Blood tests also include T4, which is the amount of thyroid hormone in the blood. In hypothyroidism, the blood lab values are lower than normal. The anti-thyroid antibody tests look for presence of thyroid autoantibodies. Most people with Hashimoto’s disease have these antibodies; however, hypothyroidism isn’t always caused

*TFT (thyroid function tests) – there are several diff. types of hormones so multiple test may be performed, Thyroid scans (radioscan or Scintiscan) – the pt will ingests radioactive iodine then an x-ray study performed to test thyroid

     Several tests can be run once symptoms are noticed to earmark the disease with a proper diagnosis. Some of the tests include; a biopsy of the tumor, X-rays, a CT scan, a skeletal survey, bone scans or bone marrow aspiration (fluid sample) and biopsy (tissue sample). Once diagnosed, the treatments begin to hinder any advancement the cancer would or could make. Possibly removing the cancer completely through surgery is a possibility, while others include chemotherapy, radiation treatment, and bone marrow transplantation. Many times these treatments can be used concurrently with one another.

Physicians can perform tests on DNA, RNA and cell proteins to determine if cancer is present within the body. After an individual discovers a sign that leads them to believe that cancerous cells are present within their body, an assessment of a biopsy is the most accurate and common procedure to determine the presence and type of cancer. A biopsy is a process in which a small sample of body tissue is removed and examined by an expert. These processes of detection lead to the declaration of cancer type and viable treatment plans.

More than 50% of all patients show signs of distant metastases at the time of diagnosis1. Prognosis remains abysmal, as 90% of patients die within 6 months of diagnosis due to distant metastases or local invasion8. Patients younger than 60 year of age with involvement limited only to the thyroid have a better outlook than older individuals with signs of metastasis5. Ultimately, ATC accounts for more than 50% of all thyroid malignancy-related deaths1.

Thyroid nodules, or lumps, are very common. They occur in over half of the world's population, but only 5 per cent of them are cancerous. Nodules are referred to as either 'hot' or 'cold,' depending on the amount of radioactive iodine it concentrates, or takes up, when testing for the type of nodule it is.

If you were to get thyroid cancer there is an 80% chance that you would get Papillary thyroid cancer. Women have a higher chance of getting the thyroid cancer than men (there is a 3:1 ratio). In over 50% of the cases of Papillary thyroid cancer, it is common for the cancer to spread to the Lymph nodes, (which are located in the neck region), although it is uncommon This type of thyroid cancer is typically caused by exposure to radiation.

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

Grave’s disease is the most common form of hyperthyroidism, affecting more than seventy percent of people. This disease usually occurs when the immune system’s antibodies in the blood, also known as lymphocytes, attack the thyroid and bind to the surface of thyroid cells, which then grow in size and secrete too much thyroid hormone. It is thought to be a genetic disorder. Thyroid hormone plays a significant role in the body’s metabolic processes. When too much thyroid hormone is present, every bodily function tends to speed up. Common symptoms include nervousness, irritability, increased perspiration, heart racing, tremors, anxiety, difficulty sleeping, thinning of the skin, fine brittle hair, weakness of the muscles in the upper arms and thighs, frequent bowel movements, weight loss and for women, menstrual flow may lighten or occur less often. In Grave’s disease, the eyes may look enlarged or bulge. A goiter, or swelling in the front of the neck from an enlarged thyroid gland, is also common.

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).

Bone scans may be done to see if the cancer has spread to the skull or other bones.

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

The differentiation of single benign nodule and malignant one is considered an important goal. Early diagnosis of thyroid cancer avoids unneeded surgery in those complaining of benign nodules and decreases both mortality and morbidity rates of the disease (2).

When diagnosing bone cancer, a doctor must first complete some tests. According to a summary of tests and procedures by Medicine Net on line, a doctor will first ask about a patient’s personal and family medical history in order to find out if there is any history of cancer in the family. Next, the doctor will order blood tests and x-rays. The exact size, shape, and location of a bone tumor can be seen through an x-ray. Then, a CAT scan (Computed Axial Tomography) will be completed to show whether the cancer has begun to spread to other parts of the body. A CAT scan will give detailed pictures of the cross section of the body. There are also similar tests like an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and an Angiogram (x-ray of the arteries), but a biopsy is the ultimate test that will make sure that cancer is present in the body. After the victim was told that she had bone cancer, she experienced a biopsy in Seattle, Washington. The Medicine Net on line explained that during a biopsy, doctors test a sample of the bone tumor and determine through a microscope whether or not the tumor is cancerous. The many different tests of bone cancer are very critical to the outcome of the disease. The tests are used for staging the bone cancer. For example, if a patient of bone cancer had a CAT scan, and it showed that the bone cancer was not spreading, the doctors could stage the patient’s cancer as controlled.