Thyroid carcinoma is cancer that starts within the thyroid gland. Most of the tumors that arise in the thyroid are benign, being estimated that 5% of them are actually cancerous. Most of the non-cancerous nodules are often left alone, untreated, unless they keep growing and cause symptoms.

There are two types of thyroid cancers that are very common, the papillary thyroid carcinoma and follicular carcinoma. These are types of differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Other types of carcinoma of thyroid exist, such as medullary carcinoma, anaplastic thyroid carcinoma, and thyroid lymphoma. However, the differentiated tumors account for most cases of thyroid cancer while the latter occur very rarely.

Thyroid cancer is one of the cancers that can be found in early stages and treated successfully. Therefore, it is mandatory that patients who experience the common symptoms that may be caused by this type of carcinoma seek a medical opinion immediately. Among the most common thyroid cancer symptoms are the existence of a nodule or lump in the neck, pain in the front of the neck that goes up to the ears, trouble swallowing, voice changes or hoarseness, breathing problems or a persistent cough that is not caused by a cold.

Thyroid cancer is diagnosed based on the patient’s symptoms, medical history and a physical exam. The doctor is taking a complete medical history of the patient that could give him information on the risk factors that the patient may have and on family or personal history of cancer. During the physical exam, the doctor will check the patient’s neck and symptoms and especially the size of the thyroid and lymph nodes in the neck.

The diagnosis may however only be established by a biopsy. A biopsy consists in removing a tissue sample from the affected area. The sample is then sent to the laboratory where it is looked at under the microscope. The specialist will then see differences between the cancer cell (if they exist) and the healthy cells. Biopsies may be performed in many ways but the fine needle aspiration biopsy is more commonly used to diagnose thyroid cancer.

Different imaging tests can also provide valuable information on if a certain area is cancerous or if the cancer spread or the tumor has enlarged. Thus, chest x-rays are ordered because they can show if cancer has spread to one’s lungs, especially in cases of follicular thyroid cancer. Ultrasounds are useful in determining if a nodules is filled with liquid or not and it may also provide information on the number and size of the nodules. CT scans are used to take images of the soft tissue of the body, images that can reveal any abnormalities that may occur in the thyroid and other soft parts of one’s body. The MRI scans are performed as well to detect if cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Among the other tests that can be ordered to diagnose or monitor thyroid cancer are nuclear medicine scans, radioiodine scan, PET scans or octreotide scans.

In conclusion, thyroid carcinoma is cancer of the thyroid gland that unlike many other types of cancer can be found early and treated successfully.