January: Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month

What you need to know regarding symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.

It will be Kaweah Delta’s monthly goal to promote awareness of concerning health issues beginning with thyroid cancer for the month of January. Hearing the words “you have cancer” uttered from your doctor can be the most frightening three words you will ever hear. Instantaneous fear overpowers you and you ask “am I going to die?” After thinking about your family, thinking back to symptoms you had, you may wonder what stage you are in, and can it be cured. If you learn you have thyroid cancer you are among the 63,000 Americans diagnosed each year according to the National Cancer Institute. However, although not commonly known, thyroid cancer is one of the most curable cancers and this column will highlight some common symptoms and risk factors, as well as prognosis and treatments.

The thyroid is a tiny butterfly-shaped gland that sits just below your Adam’s apple or low on the front of your neck that is responsible for regulating your metabolism, growth and development, and body temperature. When the thyroid is its normal size, you can’t feel it. However, often the first sign of thyroid cancer is a thyroid nodule. Some other signs and symptoms include a hoarse voice, difficulty swallowing, neck pain, and enlarged lymph nodes. Risk factors include the female gender, over 40 years of age, a family history of thyroid cancer, a history of breast cancer, and/or history of radiation exposure.

If your doctor thinks the lump or nodule could be cancerous, he or she may order a CT scan or an ultrasound to get a better look at your thyroid. Also, calcium, phosphorous, or calcitonin levels in the blood may be tested for review. Additionally, your doctor may do a fine needle biopsy of the thyroid gland. During a biopsy, a small piece of thyroid tissue is removed. The thyroid tissue cells are then examined under a microscope.

From the biopsy your doctor can identify which type of thyroid cancer you have. There are four main types of malignant tumors; papillary, follicular (or hurthle cell), medullary, and anaplastic. Additionally, thyroid lymphoma is a rare type of thyroid cancer that begins in the immune cells located within the thyroid glands. The most common type of thyroid cancer is papillary thyroid cancer. Your treatment for thyroid cancer may include: ·

• Surgery to remove the part of the thyroid gland that contains cancer.
• Removing one lobe is called a lobectomy.
• Removing both lobes is called a total thyroidectomy.
• Removing all but a very small part of the thyroid is called a near-total thyroidectomy.
• Lymph nodes may also be removed during surgery.
• Use of radioactive iodine

After you have your thyroid surgically removed, you may have to wait several weeks before having radioactive iodine treatment to destroy any remaining thyroid tissue. During the waiting period, you may have symptoms of hypothyroidism such as fatigue, weakness, weight gain, depression, memory problems, or constipation. Additionally, thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) suppression therapy may also be used for treatment. TSH suppression therapy reduces the TSH in your body, which may help prevent the growth of any remaining cancer cells. If thyroid cancer is advanced when it is diagnosed, initial treatment may also include chemotherapy or radiation therapy. Treated correctly, the cure rate is extremely high at ninety-seven percent.

We encourage you to keep up with your annual checkups, and let your doctor know if you’re having any symptoms discussed in this column. Finding any potentially serious health complications in the earliest stages will lead to the best outcomes.

Additionally, if you recently learned that you have cancer, listed below are support groups you may find beneficial. Also, a downloadable booklet on thyroid cancer is available on-line at http://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/thyroid.pdf. The booklet covers in detail the anatomy of the thyroid, basics about thyroid cancer, how thyroid cancer is diagnosed, and treatments for thyroid cancer.

Source: http://www.cancer.gov/research/progress/snapshots/thyroid

Available Support Groups

Tuesday with Ernie

• 10 AM Meets: Every Tuesday for newly diagnosed patients and their loved ones
• Sequoia Regional Cancer Center
• 4945 W. Cypress Ave. Info: 624-3325

Cancer is Dinner Talk

• 5:30 PM Meets: Monthly, 1st Thursday
• Sequoia Regional Cancer Center
• 4945 W. Cypress Ave. Info: 624-3325

Women’s Cancer Connection

• 6:30 PM Meets: Monthly, 2nd Thursday
• Sequoia Regional Cancer Center
• 4945 W. Cypress Ave. Info: 624-3325