Symptoms of Thyroid Cancer

To a malignant tumor, thyroid cancer is not considered a frequent form, but recently it occurs a little more frequently, and especially in children. Often sick and elderly. In people over forty years of age, cancer sites are registered with an increase of 10 percent in every decade. Cancer and benign thyroid nodules are much more common in women. Suspicion of growing into a malignant node is more likely to affect men. Some carcinomas of the thyroid gland are of hereditary origin.

Symptoms of the disease

The clinic of this cancer in the initial stage is almost not expressed. It should be noted that many of the malignant tumors can occur against the background of the long existence of goiter( benign).One of the most obvious symptoms can be considered an increase in the rapid pace of the existing struma, its tuberosity and compaction.

Often, when examined in patients, the asymptomatic and progressive node of the thyroid gland appears. In such cases, there is a suspicion of the formation of a malignant tumor, even though the nodes, being single, are almost always benign.

If the gland is healthy, the tumor node usually appears in one of the lobes( more often - in its lower pole).Less often the node can appear in the isthmus of the gland, extending into both lobes. Initially, the tumor is round and smooth, with a denser consistency than the thyroid tissue itself. Increasing, it becomes already bumpy with the loss of clear boundaries and can capture one or two lobes, and more often the growth goes behind, there it sprouts the capsule of the gland, squeezing the recurrent nerve, as well as the trachea, causes hoarseness in the voice, shortness of breath, makes breathing difficult under physicalLoads. If the esophagus is squeezed, the swallowing reflex is broken and dysphagia begins. Over time, the muscles of the neck, the vascular bundle and the fiber are found in the tumor process. On the skin, sharply widened veins become visible.

Lymph nodes increase on the affected side and malignancy occurs. In more than 50% of cases, cancer is first diagnosed in children due to the fact that the cervical lymph nodes increase.

Paralysis of the vocal cords on the side of the node is a sign of cancer, which infiltrated the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Because the paralysis of the vocal cords can proceed without violating the voice, the voice gap in such cases is examined by direct laryngoscopy.

Sometimes, when the form of cancer is aggressive, the lymph nodes are affected as a fast-growing creeping infiltrate, soldered to the skin and muscles. At a late stage of thyroid cancer, there are metastases - the spread of tumor nodes to other organs. This can manifest itself in the corresponding symptoms.

When the brain is affected, the patient suffers from headaches, visual impairment, nausea, and limb movements. If the bones are affected, the pain in the bones is a common symptom. With liver damage - the right upper quadrant, a sense of weakness, fatigue, high fever.

The appearance and speed of development of the above symptoms depends on what type of cancer.

If the form is highly differentiated, the development time can last up to several years, the symptomatology develops very slowly. In the case when the cancer is undifferentiated, the tumor appears quickly and simultaneously with the germination in the surrounding organs.

Paralysis of the vocal cords on the side of the node is a sign of cancer that infiltrated the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Because the paralysis of the vocal cords can proceed without violating the voice, the voice gap in such cases is examined by direct laryngoscopy.

Undifferentiated cancer is sometimes accompanied by symptoms of intoxication, inflammatory processes, i.e. Fever, redness and swelling of the skin, inflammatory changes in the blood.

So, oncology of the thyroid gland has no specific signs, however, complaints made by patients often cause doctors to think about this disease. Therefore, any complaints from those listed above are an occasion for urgent treatment in medical institutions for the help of specialists.