Knowing thyroid cancer

CEBU, Philippines – Have you been suffering from neck pains, unusual cough, and sudden hoarseness? Were you able to visit a physician for a test? If not, it is best to do so be because these might be symptoms of a far worse an insidious form of malady—that of thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer is a disease where there is an abnormal growth of cells in the thyroid gland, causing it to fail to make enough hormones. While the definite cause of thyroid cancer is not yet known, people who have been exposed to too much radiation will most likely acquire cancer. Unusual changes in a person’s DNA may lead to cancer, and may occur due to genetics or as one grows older.

That is why undergoing regular cancer screening is very important. It helps discover cancer at its early stage, when the chances of survival is still good. One institution that offers this kind of service is the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.-Eduardo J. Aboitiz Cancer Center (RAFI-EADSC), which also has a database of cancer incidents in Metro Cebu.

It is advisable to have your physician examine your neck at least twice a year for possible signs of cancer, for prevention purposes. If a family member happens to have thyroid cancer, it is also best to have the test as soon as possible to see whether there is also an active cancer cell in you.

In the Philippines, thyroid cancer is the seventh leading cancer, with approximately 2,500 cases every year. It is also established that females are three times vulnerable to thyroid cancer than males. Chances of having thyroid cancer among women rises also when they reach the childbearing age, which is younger than the average age of a cancer patient.

According to JAMA Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery, a professional medical journal by the American Medical Association, Filipinos have 25 percent chances of acquiring cancer, which is higher compared to non-Filipinos with 9.5 percent only.

Some studies even show that Filipinos are carriers of genetic mutation which makes them more vulnerable to diseases. Lifestyle, diet, and gene combinations are some of factors why Filipinos are prone to cancer.

Thyroid cancer has two different types: papillary thyroid cancer and follicular thyroid cancer. Papillary thyroid cancer is an inactively growing cancer so that it is often discovered only in its advance stage, when chances of surviving it is already slim. Follicular thyroid cancer, on the other hand, manifests early and is therefore detected when still at its early stage.

Genetic testing is advisable to determine if a person is a carrier of cancer or not. If a person is diagnosed with cancer, initial treatment of thyroid cancer is surgery, which is done by removing the thyroid gland that has the cancer cells. The second treatment method is through radioactive iodine, which is used after surgery to eradicate the remaining cancer cells in the thyroid tissue. Another form of treatment is thyroid-stimulating hormones (TSH) suppression therapy, which will help reduce the TSH in the body that might trigger the cancer cell again.

Just when you should start worrying about thyroid cancer?  Its symptoms include trouble in swallowing, swelling of the neck (which is the most common symptom), pain in the neck that sometimes gets into your ears, successive coughing and hoarseness, and trouble in breathing normally. Some people may not feel any symptoms but physicians may find abnormalities like a lump or a nodule in the neck.

Since, genetically, Filipinos are found very susceptible to thyroid cancer, the best thing you could do is to check your lifestyle and your diet. Being very cautious and particular in whatever you eat and do is the best way to prevent thyroid cancer.