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Like other kinds of cancer, thyroid cancer refers to the growth of abnormal cells which do not die out but multiply and overwhelm the healthy functioning of body organs. There are various forms of thyroid cancer, depending on where the cancerous cells develop. There are mainly four different types, namely: papillary, follicular, medullary and anaplastic thyroid cancer. In most cases, the affected people are unable to detect the symptoms of thyroid cancer. Those who do have symptoms may notice a lump in their neck that appears to be expanding. Others may experience difficulty swallowing or having trouble breathing smoothly. Having these symptoms do not necessarily means you have developed thyroid cancer but the safest way is to consult a doctor for a physical examination. When it comes to thyroid cancer treatment, the amount of surgery to be performed depends on the type of cancer you have. In cases where the cancerous nodule is small and confined to one lobe, the doctor may only need to remove only one lobe. However, if the tumor is large and has spread to both lobes or beyond the thyroid gland, it's highly likely that the entire thyroid has to be removed. The thyroid cancer treatment will vary accordingly to the patient's condition. Thyroid surgery for cancer usually takes about two hours and requires a hospital stay of three days to a week. To a small extent, patients may experience some complications such as hoarseness, excessive bleeding or infection of the wound, and numbness. These conditions are usually quite rare. After the surgery, patients will be placed on thyroid replacement hormones to replace the missing cells. The dose of replacement hormones is often high enough to help keep your TSH levels low. In addition, the thyroid treatment will also consists of RAI therapy which is used to destroy any lingering thyroid tissue that was not removed by surgery or to treat thyroid cancer that has spread to other parts of the body. RAI is the only way to kill cancer cells in the thyroid gland without causing harm to other parts of the body. Some people may experience permanent side effects from RAI, which include tenderness in your neck, nausea, stomach irritation and dry mouth. Some females may notice that their periods become irregular and men who receive large doses may be at risk for infertility. It is important to note that most people do not die of thyroid cancer and they are able to live a normal life after undergoing the thyroid cancer treatment. By closely following the doctor's instructions and taking good care of your body, thyroid cancer treatment can definitely be a life saver for anyone!
For more information on getting effective thyroid cancer treatment and understanding their symptoms, please kindly refer to this website: Thyroid Disease Guide ŠSkyjoe. All rights reserved. This article may be freely distributed as long as it remains unaltered inclusive of the active links and the copyright notice. No alteration is allowed without express written permission from the author.
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