What to do if the thyroid gland took by the throat: advice from oncologists

Despite the fact that Russian doctors record an increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer, there is still good news: most often, doctors manage to catch the disease at an early stage. Saving the life and health of patients helps their own attention to their health, and timely screening. By the way, mindfulness is not without reason, because women are mostly at risk for thyroid cancer, and the fair sex, in principle, tends to be more scrupulous about their body. As for age, doctors most often detect thyroid cancer in women 50–59 years old.

– Early diagnosis of cancer and effective treatment directly depends on how quickly a serious disease is detected. That is why regular examinations are necessary.

The starting point in early diagnosis should be a visit to the endocrinologist. You should visit this doctor once every six months, – advised Ruslan Basanov, an oncologist, mammologist, surgeon, doctor of the highest medical category of the Open Clinic.

Doctors do not advise immediately to run to an oncologist. The algorithm of actions for a patient who suspected some kind of disorder in the functioning of the thyroid gland is as follows: first the endocrinologist, then the ultrasound.

– If some neoplasms are found on ultrasound, the task of the endocrinologist is to refer the patient to an oncologist. It just doesn’t make any sense to go to an oncologist. He will not tell you anything new, he will only refer you to an endocrinologist for observation and examination, Ruslan Basanov explained.

According to the doctor, women are at risk for thyroid cancer. Most often, the fair sex gets sick after 50 years. But pregnancy has nothing to do with thyroid cancer. Moreover, if the disease is detected in a pregnant woman for up to 24 weeks, the tumor can be operated on without endangering the fetus. And even more so, cancer of this organ is not a reason for terminating a pregnancy.

However, if a woman who has been treated for thyroid cancer wants to have children, there is a limitation. It is not recommended to plan pregnancy within 6 months after the end of therapy. For men, the restriction is similar, only the period is shorter – 120 days. Doctors explained that this is the period of vital activity of spermatozoa.

Like any oncological disease, thyroid cancer in the minds of society is filled with many myths.

One of them is “cancer can be diagnosed by a blood test”.

Doctors here are forced to disappoint patients: even special tumor markers are not able to 100% establish the presence of cancer.

– For the thyroid gland, there is the only sufficiently significant marker, with an increase in which to certain numbers, one can speak of the presence of cancer. But without defining the species. Other tests (clinical, biochemistry, hormones) are useless in diagnosing cancer, Ruslan Basanov explained.

However, the role of tumor markers cannot be underestimated. Doctors explain that such tests help to control the quality and course of treatment if cancer has already been detected. But still, you should not rely on the fact that you will pass the tests that were advised somewhere in the clinic and get a 100% result.

Another common myth is that “taking L-thyroxine leads to weight gain.”

It’s hormone replacement therapy. So to say that L-thyroxine somehow affects body weight is unjustified. Therapy with this drug is carried out to replace the work of the organ after surgery, – said the oncologist, mammologist, surgeon of the D.D. Pletnev Masud Farahmand.

In total, doctors distinguish two types of thyroid cancer. The first is highly differentiated cancers. They most often proceed favorably, develop for a long time and rarely give metastases. The second type is poorly differentiated cancers, they are difficult to treat, often you have to deal with metastases.

What can become a trigger to launch the oncological process in the body? Physicians name several factors. Among them are radiation exposure, living in cancer-endemic areas where there is little iodine in water and food, and age over 50 years.

What symptoms may indicate that the pathology has already appeared? Among the most frequent complaints are voice disorders, difficulty in swallowing, changes in the shape of the neck. True, such symptoms indicate that the cancer has already moved to the second, or even the third stage.

In the initial stages, there are no specific symptoms, so the most important thing is to be examined regularly. Oncologists are encouraging: in the early stages, thyroid cancer behaves very calmly, the mortality rate is very low.

Finally, the most frightening myth for patients concerns radioiodine therapy. This is the introduction of iodine with radioactive substances into the body. Oncologists say that there is no need to be afraid of this form of treatment.

Radioiodine therapy is the introduction of iodine with radioactive substances of a low half-life into the body. We can say that after such a procedure, a person “shines”, but only 72 hours.

Take care of your health, do not neglect the advice of specialists and regularly undergo examinations, even if nothing hurts. And if you still have questions for the doctors, ask them by sending an email to: [email protected]