Thyroid cancer is cancer that develops in the cells of the thyroid gland. It is not a very common type of cancer. It occurs in 6% of women and 1.5% of men. Since most thyroid tumors are benign, and there is a 5% chance they will turn cancerous, they need to be carefully monitored.
Causes of Thyroid Cancer
While the exact cause of thyroid cancer is unknown, it has been shown that it develops due to excessive radiation. Exposure to radiation, especially to the neck area, such as radiotherapy treatment to this region, can cause thyroid cancer. Many people exposed to the Chernobyl disaster died from thyroid cancer. On the other hand, genetic factors also have a significant impact. A person with a family history of thyroid cancer has an increased risk of developing the disease.
Thyroid Cancer Symptoms
Thyroid cancer should be suspected if: nodules appear in children before puberty; nodules suddenly appear in the elderly; there is a family history of thyroid cancer; a single nodule is seen in men; or there is a sudden onset of voice problems and difficulty swallowing.
Thyroid Cancer Treatment
Thyroid cancer is usually diagnosed with ultrasonography. For a more detailed diagnosis, scintigraphy or biopsy may be performed. If cancer is diagnosed, the first treatment method is surgery. If the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, the thyroid gland is completely removed with a total thyroidectomy. Lymph nodes should also be removed if necessary. In fact, the preferred method is removal of the entire gland. This method eliminates the risk of recurrence and also allows for radioactive iodine therapy.
Radioactive iodine therapy can be applied 6 weeks after surgical treatment.
