I had a check-up and discovered a lump in my neck, suspected of being thyroid cancer. Is there any method to treat thyroid cancer without surgery? (Long Tran, 48 years old, An Giang)
Thyroid cancer is a condition in which thyroid cells develop abnormally, form tumors, and metastasize to lymph nodes, lungs, bones, brain… The disease is more common in women than men.
Thyroid cancer includes papillary thyroid cancer, follicular thyroid cancer, Hurthle cell cancer, medullary thyroid carcinoma and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.
Depending on the type of thyroid cancer, stage and condition of each patient, doctors prescribe different treatment methods. Among them, surgery is the main treatment method. Open surgery is preferred, in which the doctor incisions the skin of the neck, goes through the tissues, muscles, to the thyroid gland, observes and evaluates the tumor directly to make a decision to remove part or all of the thyroid gland, curettage. neck lymph node dissection.
For patients in the early stage, the tumor is less than 1 cm, has not invaded the thyroid capsule, and has no signs of lymph node metastasis, the doctor can perform endoscopic surgery through the mouth. This method is highly aesthetic, recovery time and level of damage are not too different from traditional surgery.
After surgery, if the patient has had the entire thyroid gland removed, the doctor will prescribe additional thyroid hormone. This treatment replaces natural hormones, with no side effects.
In cases where thyroid cancer has a high risk of recurrence and lymph node metastasis, the doctor may prescribe radioactive iodine. People with cancer that has spread to other parts of the body are often prescribed treatment methods based on the type of cancer cell such as radiation therapy or chemotherapy.
You should go for a checkup and have a biopsy to see if the tumor in your neck is benign or malignant. If you have cancer, you must determine the stage so your doctor can advise accordingly. If the biopsy results and ultrasound and MRI images assess that the tumor has a risk of invading the capsule and metastasizing to the neck lymph nodes, the doctor will recommend open surgery. Currently, modern operating rooms and experienced doctors help ensure safe surgery with low complications.