Before you find out the different thyroid cancer symptoms, let’s first know the basic facts about this cancer. This cancer is actually a type of endocrine cancer. It is the most common type of endocrine cancer. Thyroid cancer occurs when there are cancer cells in the thyroid gland. It becomes a more dangerous condition when the tumor is already malignant.
Thyroid cancer symptoms
Thyroid cancer does not choose a specific age or type of person. It is a cancer that may happen to both children and adults. This means that everybody is prone to get this cancer. Like other cancers, this condition is not easy to deal with because of the effects it brings. The good news is that it has treatment which you will learn further down.
Thyroid cancer symptoms are basically visible and obvious only during the later or final stages. It may be difficult to assume you have this cancer during the early stage. However, it is advisable that you get diagnosis regularly or annually with your doctor to detect if you are on the first stages of thyroid cancer. Plus, the signs and symptoms of thyroid cancer differ depending on the age of a person.
The general symptoms of thyroid vary from one person to another. The most common thyroid cancer symptoms are painful feeling at the region of the neck and throat. It mostly affects the thyroid gland so expect to get some warning signs from that region. There is also difficulty in breathing and swallowing. In fact, these are the most commonly seen thyroid cancer symptoms in children. Kids tend to complain more about these uncomfortable conditions which is easier to detect. Adults barely notice them because of the many conditions that have the same symptoms. You may think it is just flu so you ignore and do not really feel bothered about it. However, you can see some strange changes regarding the voice and the way to talk or speak up when you are positive with this cancer. In addition for men, there will be a lump growing near to the Adam’s apple. This is the sign that actually indicates a later stage of the cancer.
Most of these warning signs mentioned from the previous paragraph are the same indicators of papillary thyroid. Papillary thyroid cancer is one of the four types of thyroid cancer. You will get to feel and see more symptoms during this type of cancer. Hence, papillary thyroid cancer symptoms are the most common ones.
Other types of thyroid cancer are called anaplastic, medullary and follicular. They have distinctions but still most of the thyroid cancer symptoms are the same depending on the stage.
Both thyroid cancer symptoms and treatment go together in a discussion. If signs and symptoms are talked about, there is always the addition of the different treatments available. As a matter of fact, there are only two methods of treating thyroid cancer. The primary treatment is surgery since cancer cells and tumors are removable. It is important that whatever the causes are to make a person feel ill and have cancer, those things must be removed through surgical procedure. The other one is prevention which must be practiced before even you get the cancer. The only way to really avoid having medical problems with your thyroid gland is to prevent all possible causes. You must avoid bad habits that can destroy that region such as smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol and inhaling toxic chemicals. Like what is mentioned awhile back, it can help reduce the chance to have thyroid cancer if you are able to treat yourself properly through healthy living.