Thyroid Cancer
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| Thyroid cancer |
Thyroid cancer is an abnormal cell growth that occurs inside the thyroid gland. The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the front of the neck. This gland secretes hormones that regulate metabolism, growth, body temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, weight, and more.
There are three types of hormones released by the thyroid gland, among others:
Triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). Both of these hormones help regulate the body's metabolism. Excess hormone T3 and T4 can make a person become overactive and weight decreased. Conversely if the deficiency of these two hormones, then someone will feel weak and weight will increase.
Calcitonin. It is a type of hormone that regulates the levels of calcium in the blood and helps the process of strong bone formation. This hormone does not have a key role in maintaining health because the body also utilizes other ways of controlling the levels of calcium in the blood.
Thyroid cancer is one of the rare types of diseases. This condition generally occurs in people aged between 35-39 years and age 70 years and over. Women have three times the risk of thyroid cancer greater than men. Although the exact cause of thyroid cancer is still unknown, there is a possibility that it is related to hormonal changes in the female reproductive system.
Thyroid cancer is divided into four types, namely:
1.Papillary carcinoma. This is the most common type of thyroid cancer, which is about 60
percent of all thyroid cancer cases, and usually affects women under 40 years of age.
2.Follicular carcinoma. About 15 percent of cases of thyroid cancer are of this type.
Follicular carcinoma tends to occur in elderly people.
3.Thyroid medullary carcinoma. This type occurs in about 5-8 percent of all cases of thyroid
cancer. What distinguishes it from other types is thyroid medullary carcinoma generally
influenced by hereditary factors.
4. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. This is the most rare, but most aggressive, type of thyroid
cancer. This condition occurs only in 5 percent of all cases of thyroid cancer and
generally occurs at the age of 60 years and over.
Diagnosis of Thyroid Cancer
To diagnose thyroid cancer, the doctor will perform a physical examination as the initial stage of the examination. Doctors will also inquire about family health history as well as symptoms experienced by patients, one of which is a hoarse voice that does not go away.
Some further tests that can be done to diagnose thyroid cancer are:
- Thyroid function test. This is a type of blood test that serves to check whether there is interference with the function of the thyroid gland, by measuring the levels of thyroid hormones in the blood.
- The cytology of fine needle aspiration. In this test, a very small needle is inserted into a lump in the neck to take a tissue sample which is then examined by a microscope. This test can detect the presence of abnormal cells and cancer cells.
- Scanning. This examination needs to be done to ascertain whether the cancer that appears has spread beyond the thyroid gland. Scanning can be done via CT scan, ultrasound, or PET (positron emission tomography).
- Inherited disease test. Doctors may need to perform genetic testing in patients to look for a gene disorder that may increase the risk of medullary thyroid cancer.
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