People who have been exposed to radiation, or whose family members have genetic syndromes, iodine deficiency, or obesity, should proactively screen for thyroid cancer.
Thyroid cancer is a malignant tumor that develops in the thyroid gland (a small butterfly-shaped gland in the neck), more common in women than men. According to the Global Cancer Organization (Globocan) in 2022, thyroid cancer is one of the 10 common types of cancer in Vietnam, with about 6,120 new cases and more than 850 deaths.
Doctor Tran Huu Thanh Tung, Department of Endocrinology – Diabetes, Tam Anh General Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, said thyroid cancer develops silently, with few early symptoms. Compared to other types of cancer, thyroid cancer often has a good prognosis, high cure rate, and reduced complications if detected early. If the disease is not treated promptly, it can easily develop metastasis (usually to lymph nodes and lungs), which can lead to death.
Regular thyroid cancer screening once a year, especially for people at high risk, can detect the disease early.
Exposure to radiation: Radiation from nuclear disasters, computed tomography (CT) scans, X-rays, radiation therapy, and regular radioactive iodine may increase the risk of thyroid cancer.
Family history of thyroid cancer: People with a first-degree relative with thyroid cancer are 5 times more likely to develop the disease than the general population.
Genetic syndromes: Polyps, multiple endocrine tumors, Carney syndrome, Cowden syndrome… increase the risk of thyroid cancer 10 times. Particularly, people with familial adenomatous polyposis are recommended to monitor their thyroid regularly. Patients with multiple endocrine adenomas have a risk of developing medullary thyroid cancer at a rate of about 70-100%, and are often recommended to have prophylactic thyroidectomy.
People with thyroid enlargement (goiter), thyroiditis, iodine deficiency, obesity… should also be screened for this type of cancer.
Dr. Tung said thyroid ultrasound can detect abnormal structures of the thyroid gland. In case the ultrasound shows a tumor on the thyroid gland, the doctor will prescribe a biopsy to determine if the tumor is malignant (cancerous) or benign.
Symptoms of late-stage thyroid cancer include difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, loss of voice, swelling of the neck… When the tumor metastasizes to other areas of the body, the patient may experience fatigue, loss of appetite, and nausea. , vomiting, sudden weight loss.
In addition to people with high risk factors, normal people who have suspicious symptoms should also go to the doctor and get screened early to detect the disease promptly.