Have you ever heard of thyroid cancer? Is thyroid cancer dangerous? The answer is in this article.

Thyroid cancer is an uncommon cancer, and there are different types of thyroid cancer that differ in their nature and treatability, but is thyroid cancer dangerous? We will provide you with the answer in the following details:

Is thyroid cancer dangerous?

The answer to the question Is thyroid cancer dangerous? Depending on the type of thyroid cancer, there are types that are highly treatable and usually curable, such as: papillary thyroid cancer.

While there are types that are aggressive, spread early, and have a very poor risk, such as: medullary thyroid cancer, or anaplastic thyroid cancer.

What are the factors that increase the risk of thyroid cancer?

There are a group of factors that increase the risk of thyroid cancer and make it more difficult to treat, and these factors include the following:

Type of cancer: Anaplastic carcinoma is the worst, most aggressive and metastatic.

Patient age: People under the age of 40 have better outcomes than older patients.

The stage of the cancer: the less invasive and earlier the tumor is, the better the outcome.

Tumor size: Tumors larger than 4 centimeters are more aggressive.

Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2: People with this condition may develop medullary adenocarcinoma, which is usually advanced and carries a poor prognosis.

What are the complications of thyroid cancer?

Complications of thyroid cancer include

Laryngeal nerve injury during surgery, leading to hoarseness.

Low calcium level due to wrong removal of parathyroid glands during surgery.

Cancer spread to the lungs or bones.

Can the risk of thyroid cancer be avoided?

The risk of thyroid cancer can be avoided through the following

1. Early diagnosis

After the doctor performs a physical examination and examination of the thyroid gland, he may request a set of tests if he suspects the presence of thyroid cancer, and these tests include the following:

Blood test: The doctor may ask to check the levels of thyroid hormone, thyroglobulin, and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).

Ultrasound examination: This examination helps to know if the tumors are non-cancerous (benign) or cancerous.

Fine-needle aspiration: A biopsy is taken from a thyroid mass and then examined under a microscope to determine whether the mass is malignant or benign.

Thyroid lobectomy: If the biopsy is inconclusive, a surgical biopsy or surgery may be performed to remove half of the thyroid gland, which is then examined under a microscope.

Genetic examination: It is used if the doctor suspects that the patient suffers from multiple endocrine neoplasia.

2. Follow up with treatment

Treatment for thyroid cancer depends on the type and size of the tumor, the patient''s general health, and whether the cancer has spread or not. Thyroid cancer can be treated as follows:

1. Surgical treatment

Surgical removal is the most commonly used in cases of thyroid cancer, and it is either a complete or partial removal, and this may be accompanied by the removal of the lymph nodes.

2. Radioactive iodine therapy

The patient is given radioactive iodine in the blood, then it is concentrated in the thyroid gland cells, which leads to cell death.

It is used to treat follicular and papillary carcinoma.

3. External radiation therapy

In this case, a device is used that emits high-energy rays that are focused on the neck area, which leads to the destruction or slowing down the growth of cancer cells.

This option may be used if the patient cannot undergo surgery, radioactive iodine treatment has not been successful, or if the patient has medullary or anaplastic thyroid cancer that does not respond to radioactive iodine treatment.

4. Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is used if the patient has anaplastic thyroid cancer or if the cancer has reached an advanced stage and other treatments have not worked.