Thyroid cancer symptoms
The most frequent Thyroid cancer symptom is a lump or nodule that can be felt in
the neck. Other Thyroid cancer symptoms are rare. The lump usually is not painful, but
some patients experience a tight or full feeling in the neck and have some difficulty
breathing or swallowing. The lymph nodes may be swollen and the voice may become hoarse
because the tumor presses on the nerves leading to the voice box.
- enlargement or a nodule of the thyroid gland or neck swelling
- hoarseness or changing voice
- cough or cough with bleeding
- difficulty swallowing
Note: Thyroid cancer symptoms may vary depending on the
type of thyroid cancer
Although the exact cause of thyroid cancer has not yet been determined, it has been
observed that thyroid cancer affects women three times as often as it affects men. The
rate of thyroid cancer is also higher in whites than in African Americans.
Exposure to radiation during childhood is a known risk factor for thyroid cancer. In
the 1950s and 1960s, radiation was used to treat acne and to reduce swelling and infection
of organs in the neck, such as the tonsils, adenoids, and lymph nodes. Recent studies have
proved that people who received radiation to the head and neck during their childhood have
a higher than average chance of developing thyroid cancer.
In areas of the world where people's diets are low in iodine, papillary and follicular
cancers occur more frequently. In the United States, dietary iodine is plentiful because
it is added to table salt and other foods. |