I had thyroid cancer for a year, did not have surgery but took traditional medicine. Recently, I have a sore throat and feel stuck in my neck when swallowing. Are these signs of metastatic disease? (Thuy Linh, 35 years old, An Giang)
The thyroid gland produces hormones that support metabolism, control blood pressure and many other body functions.
If thyroid cancer is not treated or treated incorrectly, cancer cells can invade the muscles, esophagus, trachea, larynx, blood vessels in the neck and metastasize to lymph nodes… Cells Malignant tumor cells can also spread to areas farther from the thyroid gland such as bones, brain, liver, lungs… Thyroid cancer metastasizes to distant places, causing treatment effectiveness to decrease. Brain metastases are often the most difficult to treat.
Depending on where thyroid cancer metastasizes, symptoms vary. When cancer metastasizes to the bones, symptoms may include brittle bones, spinal cord compression, bone pain, bone loss…
Thyroid cancer metastasizes to the lungs, causing dry cough, difficulty breathing, and coughing up blood. If it metastasizes to the liver, the patient has symptoms of abdominal pain, weight loss, irritability, and fatigue.
People with thyroid cancer may also have no signs of metastasis. You should see a doctor to check the size of the tumor, whether it has invaded or metastasized to plan appropriate treatment. Early-stage thyroid cancer, small in size, has a 5-year survival rate of more than 90%, and can be considered curable.
The doctor may prescribe ultrasound, PET scan, MRI scan, chest X-ray… to check.
Treatment for patients with metastatic thyroid cancer depends on the extent of spread of the malignant tumor. If the cancer has not progressed beyond the thyroid gland, the patient only needs surgery to remove one or two thyroid lobes. In cases where the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, the surgeon removes the affected nodes. Patients can receive supportive treatment with radioactive iodine. If the condition metastasizes distantly, doctors resort to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy…