Thyroid Cancer- Is It Deadly?

One of the most scary thing that can happen to anyone, is getting diagnosed of cancer, it is a condition dreaded by so many people, unfortunately there are people who get diagnosed of this deadly condition on a daily basis. Cancer comes in different forms and affects different parts of the body, but today we will be putting our focus on thyroid cancer.

The thyroid is responsible for the production of the hormones that regulates blood pressure, heart rate, weight as well as body temperature

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Thyroid cancer is not a very common type of cancer, it is rare amongst other cancer types available, it affects the thyroid gland which is a small butterfly shaped gland responsible for the production of hormones, it is located at the base of the neck, right below the Adam's apple.
The condition is common amongst those within the age of 30, and those who are over 60 years of age. There are theories to prove that, thyroid cancer can be treated, the only issue is that, it often comes back after it has been taught to be treated and gone completely.
Thyroid cancer may not come with associated symptoms at the beginning of its occurrence, but as growth takes place, noticeable swelling occurs around the neck, change in voice and difficulty with swallowing.

There are different types of thyroid cancer, some types grow at a slow pace, while other types could grow in a fast/rather aggressive manner.

Types of Thyroid Cancer.

There are various types of thyroid cancer according to medical experts, let's take a look at the types of thyroid cancer quickly.

Papillary thyroid cancer: This is the most common type of thyroid cancer that exists, it is found in about 80% of those with thyroid cancer. It grows at a slow pace then spreads to the lymph nodes in the neck, even as scary as this may sound, there is still a great chance of recovery, once treatment begins.

Medullary cancer: This type of thyroid cancer, it is found in about 4% of thyroid cancer case, it produces a hormone, known as calcitonin, the medullary cancer can be noticed at an early stage as a result of the hormone produced, as doctors always look out for it when blood test is carried out.

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Follicular thyroid cancer: This type of cancer can spread into the lymph nodes, and it also has a great chance of spreading as well into the blood vessels. This type of thyroid cancer, makes up to around 10%-15% of thyroid cases in the United States.

Hurthle cell thyroid cancer: This is a rare type of thyroid cancer, it was once categorized as a type of follicular thyroid cancer, but it is now considered as its own types of cancer thyroid cancer because it behaves differently, and it also responds to different treatment. Hurthle cell thyroid cancers can get very aggressive and then grow into a structure to the neck region and then grows to other parts of the body.

**Poorly differentiated thyroid cancer: This category of thyroid cancer is a rare one, and it is usually more aggressive, it doesn't even respond to treatments as well.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer: This is the most severe and most serious type of cancer that exists, this is because it spreads to other parts of the body as well, although it is a rare case, but it is the most difficult case of thyroid condition to treat.

Thyroid cancer comes with these symptoms;

A lump on the neck that can be felt through the skin.
Difficult swallowing.
Changes in voice, with a show of increased hoarseness.
When there is a feeling of usual close-fitted shirts becoming extra tight.
Pain felt around the throat and the neck region.
Cough.

We have mentioned basic things about thyroid cancer, exploring the cause of thyroid cancer is of a great necessity as well. There is no clear reason why people get thyroid cancer, there are however certain things, that can increase the chances of getting thyroid cancer, they are;
Exposure to radiation: An exposure of the neck and head region, after being exposed to radiation as a child, could cause thyroid cancer.

Inherited genetic trait:Some cases of inherited abnormal genetic condition, like inherited abnormal gene, could lead to a high case of thyroid cancer.

Deficiency of Iodine: When there is an insufficiency of iodine in a diet, there is a higher risk of having thyroid cancer.

I mentioned at the beginning of this post that, complication arising from thyroid cancer, lies within the fact that, the associated complications could return even after treatments, this would happen when cancer cells spreads to some regions before the thyroid is removed. Although, not all cases of thyroid cancers are going to reoccur, but a medical practitioner will advise you about if the cancer experienced stands a chance of recurrence. Recurring cancer can still be treated and in most cases, the treatment carried out is often a successful one, thyroid cancer may recur in cases of;

Having lymph nodes around the neck region.
Having small pieces of thyroid tissue left behind during surgery.
When it occurs in other areas of the body, like the bones and the lungs.

Metastasizes.

The thyroid cancer that spreads are known as, metastasizes, they sometimes spread to close region of the lymph nodes or other body parts. The cancer cells that spread can be found during the first stage of diagnoses, they may sometimes even be found during the first stage of diagnosing thyroid cancer or after treatment in some cases. During the spread of thyroid cancer, it locates regions like the Lungs, Brain, Skin, Bones, Lymph nodes in the neck region and even the Liver.
Spread thyroid cancer can be detected through imagine tests like the CT and MRI.

Conclusion.

Thyroid cancer are real and even if there are possible ways of getting treated, not all types of thyroid cancers can be treated completely without having a recurring case. Avoid staying close to nuclear power plant regions as much as you can, but if you live about 10 miles to a nuclear power plant, and you are really concerned about how safe you are, it is wise to contact your local emergency management to give more information on safety.