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 DESCRIPTION
The most frequent symptom of cancer of thyroid gland is a nodule, and the only way of knowing if a nodule is cancerous or is not to examine it (puncionarlo with a needle or to extirpate it for biopsy). The treatment of the cancer of thyroid gland is usually surgical, unless it has already been spread to other areas of the organism. There exist four principal types of cancer of thyroid gland.
The cause of the cancer of thyroid gland is not known, but some risk factors have been identified. This way, it is advised every person who should have received radiation in the head or the neck during the infancy, to check every 1 ó 2 years in this sense.
GLAND THYROID GLAND AND THYROID HORMONES
The thyroid hormones produce in the gland thyroid gland to themselves. The gland thyroid gland is located in the previous part of the neck, under the Adam's apple - to see image-. It has form of butterfly and embraces to the trachea. It is formed by 2 more or less equal lobes that join in the center. The thyroid hormones are essential for the function of any cell of the organism. They help to regulate the growth and development, the cardiac frecuercia, the arterial tension, the corporal temperature and the metabolic valuation of the body - or, the speed with which the meal turns into energy.
The gland thyroid gland uses iodine to make the thyroid hormones. The 2 most important thyroid hormones are the tiroxina (T4) and the triyodotironina (T3). The T4 has 4 iodine molecules, while T3 only it takes 3. The necessary iodine to make thyroid hormones is in fish and seafood, in the bread and in the iodized salt of table.
FREQUENCY AND TYPES OF CANCER OF THYROID GLAND
The thyroid gland cancer represents 1 % of all the cancers. There are 4 principal types of cancer of thyroid gland: papilar, folicular, fundamental and anaplásico.
- Papilar. It represents 60 % of the cancer of thyroid gland. There are tumors that develop from producing cells of iodized thyroid hormones. Of very slow growth. They usually talk each other successfully, even if local dissemination exists to lymphatic ganglions.
- Folicular. It represents 17 % of the cancer of thyroid gland. There are tumors that also develop from producing cells of iodized thyroid hormones. They are "encapsulated" usually, that is to say, put inside a membrane. They can talk each other successfully, although they can be difficult to control if they leave of the capsule and invade nearby structures.
- Fundamental. 5 % of the cancer of thyroid gland. There are tumors that develop from a few cells that produce not iodized thyroid hormones. Of very slow, but great growth more difficult to control that the previous ones, because they are spread very rapidly. 1 of every 10 cases of fundamental cancer of thyroid gland is familiar.
- Anaplásicos. They represent 18 % of the cancer of thyroid gland, and happen from 60 years of age. There are the tumors of thyroid glands that more rapid develop and are spread, and the most serious of all.
CAUSES OF THE CANCER OF THYROID GLAND
The cause of the cancer of thyroid gland is not known, but some risk factors have been identified. For example, the persons who have received radiation in the head or the neck during the infancy have a risk major than the general population of developing thyroid gland cancer, and by it it is advised that every 1 to be checked ó 2 years for this motive.
SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS
The most frequent symptom of cancer of thyroid gland is a nodule that is evident in the neck, and other symptoms (pain, to make difficult on having swallowed, ganglions) they are rare and unspecific (they can happen in many other light processes).
Before a thyroid nodule, the only way of knowing if it is cancerous or is not to examine it (puncture with a needle or eradication for biopsy). Other frequent explorations are usually a thyroid gammagrafía, which consists of consuming a small quantity of iodine (I-131) or tecnecio (Tc-99m) radioactive, that they are fixed in the thyroid gland, showing the abnormal areas in a record; and the ultrasound scan of thyroid gland, for which a computer image of the thyroid gland takes place from the echoes generated by ultrasound waves.
TREATMENT
- SURGERY. The entire or partial eradication of the thyroid gland (or tiroidectomía) is the most frequent treatment of the cancer of not spread thyroid gland.
The principal complications of the surgery of the thyroid gland are the hipotiroidismo, that is to say, a too low function of the gland; the vocal cords palsy; and the accidental eradication of the glands parathyroids (located behind the gland thyroid gland), what it gives like turned out a descent of the blood calcium (the glands parathyroids regulate the calcium).
- RADIOACTIVE IODINE. It is administered at once in the shape of capsule; it removes straight the thyroid textile, destroying it. The I-131 can be used to high doses in some cancers papilares or foliculares located.
- MEDICINES. After the surgery of the thyroid gland or his ablation with radioactive iodine, there is usually necessary the restoration of the thyroid hormones with the synthetic hormone levotiroxina (Levothroid ®). In some cases, when dissemination of the cancer exists, it can be necessary to use chemotherapy. In all the cases, a regular later pursuit will be necessary.
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