Treating and knowing how to manage papillary thyroid cancer is different for the different types and the different stages. Look at the symptoms and stop the spreading on time.
The thyroid gland is responsible for good heart rate, normal body temperature and control of calcium in the blood. It uses iodine to make up hormones. Iodine is a mineral found in specific foods and iodized salt. Whenever there’s imbalance of iodine, numerous health problems can occur.
Thyroid cancer
However, this has nothing to do with thyroid cancer. The thyroid cancer, as any other cancer, is a disease where cancerous cells form in the tissues of the gland. The causes are the usual: radiation exposure, change in gene from parent to child (hereditary), family history of thyroid diseases, overproduction of hormones.
Symptoms
The symptoms are: trouble breathing and swallowing, swelling and/or lump on the neck, pain in the neck and hoarseness.
Types
There are different types of thyroid cancer: papillary (the most common), follicular, medullary and anaplastic.
How to manage papillary thyroid cancer
When to act?
First, when you notice the symptoms of a possible thyroid cancer, you have to check in at your doctor’s office. There, you’ll be tested for cancer and you’ll be diagnosed with the type of thyroid cancer you have. These tests include: laryngoscopy, thorough history checking, physical exams, blood hormone test, ultrasound and CT scan.
Diagnosis
As soon as you went through the tests, and there’s suspicion, another two procedures take place: aspiration biopsy with a fine needle or a surgical biopsy. The results of these two procedures are essential. They precisely tell do you have a thyroid cancer and of which type.
Papillary thyroid cancer
Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common one. How to manage papillary thyroid cancer depends on your age, general health and stage of the cancer. In addition, it also depends whether the cancer has spread beyond your gland.
The characteristics of this particular type of thyroid cancer are: onset age 30-50 years old people, more common in females, it usually spreads in lymph nodes of your neck, uncommon to spread beyond your gland.
Managing papillary thyroid cancer
First and foremost, there are different claims and opinions how to manage this cancer. Some claim that by removing the tumor, you get rid of it with no consequence. On the other hand, other claim that by doing that, some nerves can suffer from injury by the thyroidectomy.
In all, although different doctors treat it differently, they all do one thing in common: if a patient is young, not exposed to radiation, with no history and the tumor is 1cm, they go with isthmusthectomy and hemithyroidectomy. The carcinomas are circumscribed and isolated. However, the other, older patients must go under thyroidectomy and removal of lymph nodes, sometimes even the whole thyroid.
But don’t worry. You can live even without the thyroid. You’ll get a proper hormone treatment or thyroid hormone replacement. That means that patients will take exogenous thyroid hormone for the rest of their lives. That, and regular check-ups and tests.