Early symptoms and manifestations of thyroid cancer

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on October 21, 2024
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Thyroid cancer is a common malignant tumor in the head and neck area. Early symptoms and signs primarily include a thyroid mass discovered incidentally during a physical examination. This type of mass grows quickly, leading to localized thyroid enlargement, and patients may experience discomfort when swallowing. Additionally, some thyroid cancer patients, due to abnormal hormone secretion, might experience unexplained skin flushing or sweating symptoms. Besides, early symptoms and manifestations of thyroid cancer are not typical, and many patients do not exhibit obvious symptoms. Instead, abnormalities in thyroid function are often incidentally found during physical examinations.

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Written by Gan Jun
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Is a hypoechoic area definitely thyroid cancer?

A thyroid nodule underwent an ultrasound B-examination and showed hypoechoic features, but this does not necessarily indicate thyroid cancer. It is essential to conduct relevant tests to determine the cause. For such thyroid nodules, it is first important to check their specific size. If there is concern about the presence of a malignant tumor, it is advisable to perform a fine needle aspiration for pathological examination to confirm the diagnosis. If the thyroid nodule exceeds one centimeter and causes local pain or affects surrounding blood vessels, leading to symptoms of compression, it is recommended that patients should promptly undergo surgical removal for treatment.

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Written by Cui Fang Bo
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What are the early symptoms of thyroid cancer?

The most common clinical symptom of thyroid cancer in its early stages is an abnormal lump in the neck. Additionally, some patients may experience symptoms related to abnormal thyroid function. Thyroid cancer is currently a malignant tumor with a relatively high incidence rate globally and in China. There are four pathological types of thyroid cancer: papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, undifferentiated carcinoma, and medullary carcinoma. Among these, papillary carcinoma is the most common and has the best prognosis. For patients presenting with an abnormal neck lump and thyroid function abnormalities, the diagnosis of thyroid cancer should be considered. Diagnosis can be confirmed through tissue obtained by biopsy or surgical excision for pathological examination. For patients with confirmed diagnoses of thyroid cancer, surgery is the preferred treatment method.

doctor image
home-news-image
Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
48sec home-news-image

Early symptoms and manifestations of thyroid cancer

Thyroid cancer is a common malignant tumor in the head and neck area. Early symptoms and signs primarily include a thyroid mass discovered incidentally during a physical examination. This type of mass grows quickly, leading to localized thyroid enlargement, and patients may experience discomfort when swallowing. Additionally, some thyroid cancer patients, due to abnormal hormone secretion, might experience unexplained skin flushing or sweating symptoms. Besides, early symptoms and manifestations of thyroid cancer are not typical, and many patients do not exhibit obvious symptoms. Instead, abnormalities in thyroid function are often incidentally found during physical examinations.

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home-news-image
Written by Zhang Li
Endocrinology
57sec home-news-image

The Differences between Thyroiditis, Hyperthyroidism, and Thyroid Cancer

Thyroiditis, hyperthyroidism, and thyroid cancer are clinically distinct conditions. Thyroiditis refers to inflammatory changes in the thyroid, either autoimmunity-related, suppurative or due to inflammation. Hyperthyroidism broadly refers to a functional change, which can result from various thyroid changes caused by diseases, including external damage and inflammation, leading to symptoms of hyperthyroidism. However, these manifestations should not be confused with each other, with the latter more closely related to autoimmune thyroiditis. Thyroid cancer, on the other hand, is a malignant alteration that also occurs in the thyroid gland but is not closely related to thyroiditis or hyperthyroidism. Generally, thyroid cancer is malignant, while thyroiditis and hyperthyroidism are benign, chronic conditions.

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Written by Zhao Xin Lan
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1min 12sec home-news-image

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.