Papillary thyroid cancer (patient information)

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Papillary thyroid cancer

Overview

What are the symptoms?

What are the causes?

Who is at highest risk?

Diagnosis

When to seek urgent medical care?

Treatment options

Where to find medical care for papillary thyroid cancer?

Prevention

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

Possible complications

Papillary thyroid cancer On the Web

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Images of Papillary thyroid cancer

Videos on Papillary thyroid cancer

FDA on Papillary thyroid cancer

CDC on Papillary thyroid cancer

Papillary thyroid cancer in the news

Blogs on Papillary thyroid cancer

Directions to Hospitals Treating Papillary thyroid cancer

Risk calculators and risk factors for Papillary thyroid cancer


Template:WikiDoc Sources Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ammu Susheela, M.D. [2]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Alison Leibowitz [3]

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Overview

The thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped gland in the neck, produces body-regulating hormones. Papillary thyroid cancer starts in the thyroid gland and manifests without early-stage symptoms. As the cancer further develops, noticeable symptoms begin to arise, such as vocal hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, a lump in the neck, which can be felt through the skin, neck or throat pain, and swollen lymph nodes. Treatment options include surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and thyroid hormone therapy.

What are the symptoms of papillary thyroid cancer?

While patients with early papillary thyroid cancer do not present with any symptoms, as the tumor grows larger people may notice one or more of the following symptoms:

What causes papillary thyroid cancer?

Who is at highest risk?

Clinical data have suggested that the development of papillary thyroid cancer is related to various factors, such as:

  • A diet low in iodine: papillary thyroid cancers are more common in regions characterized by iodine-deficient diets.
  • Radiation exposure
  • Patients over the age of 45-years

Diagnosis

Firstly, a doctor will likely preform a physical exam (noting swollen lymph nodes and lumps in the neck that are perceptible by touch) and review patient medical history. Based upon the physical examination the patient's self-reported symptoms, the doctor may recommend the following tests:

When to seek urgent medical care?

Call your health care provider if symptoms of thyroid cancer develop.

Treatment options

Patients with papillary thyroid cancer have many treatment options. The selection depends on the stage of the tumor. The options are surgery, radioactive iodine, and chemotherapy. In case surgery is not viable, radiation therapy can also be administered.

Where to find medical care for papillary thyroid cancer?

Directions to Hospitals Treating thyroid cancer

Prevention of papillary thyroid cancer

There are no primary preventive measures available for papillary thyroid cancer, although the following may aid in risk reduction:

What to expect (Outlook/Prognosis)?

The prognosis of papillary thyroid cancer depends on the following:

Possible complications

Sources

https://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000331.htm

References