Although thyroid cancer is very rare the survival rate for this condition is quite high. This means that a large number of people who are diagnosed with some type of thyroid cancer have good chances of curing or otherwise dealing with this condition without recurrence. When it comes to thyroid cancer there are four basic types as follows:
Papillary
Follicular
Medullary
Anaplastic
Although there are four different types of this cancer papillary thyroid cancer is the one that is most common. This particular type of cancer affects more than three fourths of individuals who are diagnosed with thyroid cancer, including children.
In addition to papillary thyroid cancer being the most common type it is often seen more in women than men. This condition most commonly affect people that are between thirty and forty years of age as well.
In the early stages it is not uncommon for a person to experience no symptoms of this condition. As the cancer grows however there are some symptoms that may indicate the presence of a problem. Some of the most common symptoms that may manifest over the progression of time include the following:
Neck and throat pain
Difficulty swallowing
Swelling of the lymph nodes
Lump in the throat
Hoarse sounding voice
Because thyroid cancer isn’t a common condition your doctor may exhaust all other options before resorting to a thyroid cancer diagnosis.
At this time it is not known exactly what causes thyroid cancer. This condition occurs when cells continuously form and mutate in the thyroid. Under normal circumstances these cells die after a period of time however when thyroid cancer is present this does not happen. Instead these cells form a tumor thus leading to the lump that is thyroid cancer.
As with any type of cancer there are certain risk factors that can increase a person’s chances of developing this type of papillary thyroid cancer. Some of the most common of these risk factors include family history, environmental issues, smoking, unhealthy lifestyle habits, radiation exposure and some genetic syndromes which may be inherited. If you or any of your close family members have had issues such as these you should be aware that your risk for getting thyroid cancer may be slightly increased.
If you experience any of the symptoms that are associated with thyroid cancer you should seek the advice of your health care provider for further evaluation. The earlier thyroid cancer is detected the more successful treatment will be.
