The word cancer itself is scary to hear and if you hear the word thyroid cancer, there are more reasons to be concerned. This is the most common cancer of the endocrine system and occurs in all age groups, including children. The number of new cases of thyroid cancer is 13.9 per 100,000 men and women per year and it is one of the fastest growing cancers in the world. However, early detection is one way to nip this cancer in the bud.
The survival rate of well-defined thyroid cancer or WDTC is greater
Papillary and follicular cancers often referred to as well-differentiated thyroid cancers (WDTC) and are the most common. Together, they account for about 90% of thyroid cancers. The prognosis, or long-term outlook, for patients diagnosed with WDTC, is very good. According to Dr Vikram Lele, Head of Department, Nuclear Medicine, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre, On an average, we see nearly 12 patients every month who suffer from this cancer. Most of the patients that we get have been detected with the cancer in the early stages. Most of the ones at the advanced stage have manageable disease burden.
The symptoms of thyroid cancer are very subtle
Thyroid cancer symptoms may include a lump in the neck, pain in the lower front part of the neck, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, hoarseness of voice and trouble in breathing and swallowing. Physical examination, blood tests, thyroid and other scans, thyroid ultrasound, fine-needle aspiration biopsy and surgical biopsy can be done to detect thyroid cancer in a patient.
It is important to be vigilant. If you suspect that something is wrong with you, get tested at the earliest. There are good treatment options available for this disease that allows people to live a good quality of life. Even doctors should have a high index of suspicion if they are to detect the cancer early and treat it. says Dr Lele.
The treatment
For most thyroid cancer cases, the entire thyroid is removed through surgery followed by radioactive iodine therapy (in a majority of the cases). In most of the advanced WDTC surgeries, as part of the post-surgical procedure, patients are required to go for radioactive iodine scans or ablation procedure. To have a successful outcome of this procedure, patients are required to have high levels of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH or thyrotropin) in the blood which can be given either by withdrawing thyroid hormone therapy or through the use of recombinant thyroid stimulating hormone injections.
Treatment can trigger hypothyroidism
Withdrawal of Thyroid hormones can lead to moderate to severe hypothyroidism which may impact the quality of life while the injections to raise TSH levels may be costly but help patients to remain in a normal life style. Subsequently, the patients take thyroid replacement hormone medicine throughout their lives. As with all cancers, early detection and treatment are the prerequisites for a better outcome.
The success rate
A successful treatment plan involves adopting a collaborative approach and combining the expertise of head and neck surgeons, endocrinologists and a nuclear physician. According to Dr Lele, the use of recombinant thyroid stimulating hormone injection in the rehabilitation process of the patients has given the treatment a major advantage. It helps propel the whole process and get people to a disease free life sooner.
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