I was diagnosed with a nodule on my thyroid and have to go in for a biopsy. How concerned should I be?
2006-10-20 04:42:17 · 10 answers · asked by Jen O 2 in Health ➔ Diseases & Conditions ➔ Cancer
Most likely, the nodule is benign. However, if it does turn out to be cancerous, thyroid cancer is one of the more treatable forms of cancer. Thyroid cancer tends to progress slowly, so your doctors might recommend that you basically just leave it alone for a while and not do anything until it starts causing problems. If they catch it early enough, they may be able to remove just the tumor, with no lasting consequences.
In more advanced cases, doctors can remove the entire thyroid, which leaves the patient basically healthy apart from taking a pill every day to replace to hormones normally produced by the thyroid. With any cancer there's a risk that the cancer will spread to other organs, which, obviously, is a bad thing. However, the cancer cells would still have some properties of thyroid cells. One of the characteristics of thyroid cells is that the take up iodine. Other cells don't do this. So doctors can follow up surgery with a dose of radioactive iodine to kill any thyroid cells that are left over (this is usually given 6 months after surgery). This procedure has a very high success rate (I think it's something like 80% of patients are cancer-free afterwords).
The point is that although any type of cancer is bad, the prognosis for thyroid cancer is typically quite good.
2006-10-20 08:07:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
thyroid nodules are most often benign (fewer
fewer than 5% of detected nodules are malignant)
-a thyroid nodule may be found on palpation of the gland by your physician, or incidentally on a thyroid/neck ultrasound
-thyroid nodules are very common in the general population
Causes: it is unknown what specifically causes thyroid nodules
- past history of head and neck irradiation (e.g. acne treatment as a child) or high levels of circulating thyroid hormone may play a role in some patient.
2006-10-21 17:18:29 · answer #2 · answered by purple 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The prognosis is better for patients younger than 40 years who have cancer that has not spread beyond the thyroid.
Thyroid cancer occurs more often in people between the ages of 25 and 65 years.
People who have been exposed to radiation or received radiation treatments to the head and neck during infancy or childhood have a greater chance of developing thyroid cancer. The cancer may occur as early as 5 years after exposure or may occur 20 or more years later.
People who have had goiter (enlarged thyroid) or a family history of thyroid disease have an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer.
Thyroid cancer is more common in women than in men.
Asian people have an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer.
2006-10-20 04:46:34 · answer #3 · answered by kendo2_2000 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
A cold nodule 10:1 in your favor, a hot nodule 90:1 in your favor.
2006-10-20 08:00:50 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I had thyroid cancer (carsinoma) almost 30 years ago. Any cancer is scary but thyroid is one of the slowest growing and least aggressive cancers there are. Address it right now but don't panic. Unless it has moved to other parts of your body you should have little to worry about.
2006-10-20 04:53:19 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
My mother-in-law had her thyroid removed and is doing well.
At the same time I went in to have a hardened lymph node under my jaw looked at. The Dr. said come back in a couple of week if it changes in size. It didn't but I knew my Mother-in- law would be disappointed if I didn't go back though it had nothing to do w/ my thyroid.
A little embarrassed on my way out I mentioned to the Dr. the reason I came back. He said let me take a look at your thyroid. Lucky, lucky, lucky---It felt nodular and was enlarged so he referred me to a specialist who diagnosed me w/ Thyroid Disease. I have to take a pill in the morning.
2006-10-20 04:58:21 · answer #6 · answered by Mia 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Most nodules/lesions on the thyroid and parathyroid are benign. But they sure can screw up their functions and make you sick. A friend of mine has it and before they diagnosed her it caused her to go into kidney failure, high blood presssure, weight loss, hypercalciumia.
2006-10-20 04:49:08 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I'd be freaking out since I know nothing about thyroid cancer. Good luck!!!
2006-10-20 04:45:09 · answer #8 · answered by Smiles 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Cancer is serious no matter what kind it is. My advice is to do some research to become better informed, and then you can face it head on. Good Luck!
2006-10-20 04:50:01 · answer #9 · answered by j3572h 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
yes.
2006-10-20 04:43:38 · answer #10 · answered by Joe S 1 · 0⤊ 1⤋