Thyroid Cancer

The thyroid gland sits at the base of the neck and has a butterfly shape. It is responsible for secreting hormones that regulate vital functions, including heart rate, metabolism, blood pressure, body temperature and weight. Thyroid cancer arises when abnormal cells begin to mutate and proliferate, forming a growth in the thyroid gland.

Symptoms

Signs and symptoms of thyroid cancer usually do not appear until the disease is advanced and may be difficult to notice in its early stages. They become more apparent as the cancer grows and progresses. Symptoms of thyroid cancer include:

• Enlargement around the neck at the site of the thyroid gland
• Difficulty swallowing
• Pain in the neck and pharynx
• Lumps due to enlargement of lymph nodes in the neck
• Voice changes (such as hoarseness)

Diagnosis

Diagnostic tests and procedures at Sheikh Shakhbout Medical City (SSMC) to detect thyroid cancer include:

• Physical examination: The doctor examines the neck to check for changes in the shape of the thyroid gland, and will also review patient‑specific risk factors such as a family history and any prior exposure to radiation
• Blood tests to check thyroid function: Clinicians assess thyroid health indicators by measuring the level of thyroid‑stimulating hormone in the blood and the hormones secreted by the thyroid gland. They may also test for antibodies produced by the body against thyroid components and proteins
• Ultrasound imaging: Doctors image the thyroid using high‑frequency sound waves. The device is placed at the lower part of the neck so the physician can visualise nodules and assess their status. Doctors may also use ultrasound to image the lymph nodes to check for signs of cancer formation
• Fine‑needle aspiration of thyroid tissue: The physician inserts a thin, long needle through the skin to reach a thyroid nodule and withdraw some cells from its tissue. Those cells are sent to the laboratory for analysis, and additional biopsies may be taken from the thyroid mass and any suspicious lymph nodes
• Ultrasound‑guided cell sampling: The specialist analyses the sampled cells and examines them under the microscope to determine whether they are cancerous or benign
• Tracer imaging test: This test is used mainly in papillary and follicular thyroid cancers and after thyroid removal to detect any remaining risk factors. Radioactive iodine is administered and scanned using a camera
• Other imaging tests: Where the cancer has spread beyond the thyroid, the doctor will use ultrasound, computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). In very rare cases, positron emission tomography-computed tomography (PET‑CT) may be required
• Genetic testing: Although inherited‑gene thyroid cancers are rare, checking for inherited genes that predispose to thyroid cancer helps determine a patient’s status and risk of developing thyroid cancer. It also helps physicians anticipate the implications of these inherited genes and their risk to the patient’s children in the future. Thyroidectomy at an early age may help avoid cancer and prevent its progression and spread

Treatment

Treatment of thyroid cancer depends primarily on the size of the tumour and the extent of its spread. SSMC provides treatment for advanced thyroid cancer and for nodules and masses around the thyroid gland. Our clinical team also manages airway disorders related to thyroid cancer, voice disorders and paediatric thyroid cancer.

• Surgical treatment: Most cases of thyroid cancer require surgery. The surgeon performs a partial or total thyroidectomy depending on case details and the size and spread of the tumour, and may remove nearby lymph nodes to which cancer cells may have spread. Total thyroidectomy is necessary in rare, fast‑spreading cancers such as anaplastic thyroid cancer
• Radioactive iodine therapy: Used as a primary treatment for thyroid cancer or as an adjuvant after surgery to eradicate residual cancer cells. It is administered by swallowing a capsule or liquid containing a high dose of radioactive iodine used in the diagnostic radioiodine scan. This therapy can also be applied in advanced thyroid cancer
• Radiotherapy: External‑beam radiotherapy uses a device that delivers powerful energy beams directed to the tumour site to destroy cancer cells and prevent their growth and proliferation. This modality is used in more advanced, rapidly spreading cancers
• Systemic therapy: Systemic therapy includes medicines used in hormone therapy for thyroid cancers, targeted therapy (drugs that act on specific genes and proteins in cancer cells), immunotherapy, and, in rare cases, chemotherapy.

Get in Touch

If you are experiencing symptoms of thyroid cancer, it is important to see a doctor. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve outcomes. For more information, please visit our website or schedule an appointment.

For more information, please visit our website here, or schedule your appointment here.</p