Enlightening Information On Thyroid CancerCancer originated from thyroid is more familiar in women than men and for every man who has the likelihood of being diagnosed with thyroid cancer; three women are prone to be diagnosed with the same disease. This form of cancer does not have any deference for any age group and can affect even a 5 year old or an octogenarian. But generally, the propensity or frequency becomes more pronounced after one attains the age of 30 and keeps on augmenting with increasing age. Physicians and radiologists diagnose this form of cancer via a node that appears in the thyroid gland. There are no other known marked or specific symptoms for its diagnosis. The thyroid gland has many nodules but more than 99% of these are benign. When the thyroid gland begins to enlarge it is generally assumed that the enlargement is a result of a single nodule that could be malignant.

Thyroid Cancer - set of symptoms

The generally observed or manifest symptoms of this type of cancer happen to be a gradual raucousness or hoarseness of the voice that seems to aggravate as the disease progresses. Constant and chronic pain in the neck is another symptom but then you can have a pain in the neck for an n number of reasons. Lymph nodes tend to become swollen because of an enlarged node that might be malignant. Almost 80% of the population has thyroid nodules that are not carcinogenic. Nodes are rarely present in the young people aged 30 and below. But the likelihood of their presence gradually increases with age. Generally more than 90% of the octogenarians and nonagarian have at least one node. But it is also a fact that much less than 1% of these nodes are malignant or cancerous in nature.

The different types or kinds of thyroid cancer

The epithelium layer of cells lining the thyroid gland begins to multiply exponentially in a patient who has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer. The cells become malignant and they take on a metastatic attribute. Generally there are four forms or kinds of thyroid cancer depending upon the structure of the malignant cells. A small swab of the affected node is generally taken for biopsy examination.

Thyroid Cancer – the root cause

Medical science is still in research process to find the exact causes that lead to the outbreak of this disease but it is generally agreed family history, prolonged exposure to radiation like ultraviolet or infrared rays could be the apparent causes. The symptoms associated with the general types of cancer are quite different from the symptoms of thyroid cancer and therefore its detection or diagnosis at an early stage when someone is quite young is really difficult. But then again the occurrence or outbreak of this type of cancer is almost unheard of in the early stages of one’s life. But then again much less than 1% of all thyroid nodules even in geriatric patients are malignant. Thus, from next time onwards if you feel a lump in your throat or have difficulty in swallowing consult a physician as early as possible. You will be relieved to know that it is not what you had apprehended.