How to treat differentiated thyroid cancer

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on May 09, 2025
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The so-called differentiated thyroid cancers include two types: papillary and follicular thyroid cancers. Their treatment methods consist of the following: First, surgical treatment is a primary treatment strategy for early-stage differentiated thyroid cancers, involving radical surgical removal. After surgery, some patients need to take medications to supplement thyroid hormones. Secondly, for patients with advanced differentiated thyroid cancers, the main comprehensive treatment measures include radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Additionally, postoperative early-stage patients can also undergo treatment with Iodine-131 to monitor changes in the condition and provide internal radiation treatment to control the progression of the disease. Internal radiation treatment can be performed multiple times.

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Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
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Early symptoms of thyroid cancer

In the early stages, most thyroid cancer patients do not exhibit obvious symptoms. A minority of patients may inadvertently find that thyroid nodules grow rapidly and these nodules have slightly limited mobility and mild pain upon palpation. Some patients with medullary thyroid cancer may experience symptoms like facial flushing early on due to abnormal hormone secretion in the body. Additionally, clinical symptoms are not commonly seen in the early stages of thyroid cancer. Only as the disease progresses can symptoms such as neck lumps from regional lymph node metastasis, as well as distant spread, cause clinical symptoms like neck swelling, chest tightness, and difficulty breathing.

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Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
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Can thyroid cancer cause an itchy throat and cough?

Patients with thyroid cancer may experience symptoms such as throat itching and coughing. The causes can be considered from the following aspects: Firstly, thyroid cancer tends to metastasize to the lungs through the bloodstream. Once lung metastasis occurs, respiratory symptoms will appear, including throat itching and coughing. Additionally, these symptoms may also arise from a decrease in immunity following chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgical treatments for thyroid cancer, leading to concurrent lung infections. Thirdly, some patients with thyroid cancer may have invasion of nearby organs, such as the esophagus or airways, which can also lead to symptoms of throat itching and coughing. In terms of treatment, apart from symptomatic drug therapy, it is paramount to administer systemic anti-tumor treatments. Effective control of thyroid cancer is essential to alleviate these clinical symptoms.

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Written by Gan Jun
Endocrinology
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Characteristics of thyroid cancer lymph node enlargement

Thyroid cancer is a type of malignant tumor. However, if it is detected early, diagnosed early, and treated early, it generally has a relatively good prognosis compared to other malignant tumors. Once a patient is afflicted with this disease, it is crucial to seek treatment promptly. Without treatment, thyroid cancer can spread to lymph nodes. Initially, the cancerous lymph nodes may invade surrounding blood vessels and nerves, leading to symptoms such as hoarseness. If it compresses the throat area, it can cause discomfort in the throat accompanied by breathing difficulties and coughing while drinking. If the optimal time for treatment is missed, cancer cells can spread, potentially moving not only to the lungs but also to the respiratory system and bones, among other distant sites.

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Written by Zhao Xin Lan
Endocrinology
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Differences between the symptoms of thyroiditis and thyroid cancer

Thyroiditis, if it is acute suppurative thyroiditis, clinical manifestations include fever, local pain in the thyroid, tenderness on palpation, and a hard texture of the thyroid. Examination will show an increase in white blood cells. Subacute thyroiditis may also present with mild fever or high fever and local pain in the thyroid, but compared to suppurative thyroiditis, the increase in white blood cell levels is not as significant in subacute thyroiditis. If it is autoimmune thyroiditis, there may not be obvious symptoms clinically; there may be enlargement of the thyroid, and the thyroid may feel tougher upon palpation. As for thyroid cancer, clinically, if it does not cause hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, there are no specific symptoms. When the cancerous tumor is large, there may be an enlargement of the thyroid, the texture of the enlarged thyroid will be very hard, and there will be notable local adhesions. Of course, the main difference can be detected and diagnosed through an ultrasound examination.

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Written by Gong Chun
Oncology
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Causes of Thyroid Cancer

Regarding the causes of thyroid cancer, they are similar to most malignant tumors. The etiology of thyroid cancer is currently unclear, but some factors have been found to be associated with the onset of thyroid cancer. The first factor is neck radiation; the thyroid is an endocrine organ that is sensitive to radiation, so radiation exposure may cause carcinogenic changes in thyroid cancer cells. The second factor is genetics; some thyroid cancers have a clear genetic predisposition, the most typical being medullary thyroid cancer, with about 25% of patients showing familial clustering, known as familial medullary thyroid cancer. The third factor is that the rapid increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer also has some reasons, with one recognized reason being advancements in early diagnostic methods, allowing for the easy detection of numerous early lesions. The fourth is iodine intake, which has been shown to be related to some benign diseases of the thyroid, but its relationship with thyroid cancer itself needs further study.