Thyroid cancer is a malignant tumor that grows inside the thyroid gland, located in the neck. This gland is responsible for regulating the body’s metabolism, producing proteins and adjusting the body’s sensitivity to other hormones.
Many of the cases of thyroid tend to have a benign evolution, since the diagnosis is usually early. However, it is a type of cancer that can reappear after a few years.
Here we name some causes of this cancer:
- Exposure to radiation.
- High TSH levels.
- Hereditary transmission.
People suffering from this disease have the following symptoms:
- Common pain in the neck or ears.
- Appearance of a protuberance in the neck.
- Difficulty swallowing.
- Hoarsely.
- Problems breathing or the appearance of constant asthma.
- Frequent cough.
There are 3 main types of thyroid cancer, which are:
- Differentiated: Most thyroid cancers are differentiated. These cancers originate from thyroid follicular cells, and are described below: Papillary cancer, follicular cancer and cancer cells.
- Medullary: Represents approximately 4% of thyroid cancers. It is more difficult to discover and treat. It originates from the C cells of the thyroid gland that normally produces calcitonin, a hormone that helps control the amount of calcium in the blood. Sometimes this cancer can spread to the lymph nodes, lungs or liver, even before a thyroid nodule is detected. There are two types of medullary thyroid cancer: sporadic MTC and familial MTC.
- Anaplastic: It is an uncommon form of thyroid cancer, accounting for about 2% of all thyroid cancers. This cancer often spreads rapidly to the neck and other parts of the body, and is very difficult to treat. Sometimes it originates from papillary or follicular cancer that is already present. This cancer is called undifferentiated because the cancer cells do not look much like normal thyroid cells when viewed under a microscope.
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