Thyroid Cancer Facts:
- Thyroid cancer is the fastest growing cancer among women, by number of new cases.
- Thyroid cancer rates have doubled over the past thirty years and continue to increase.
- Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine cancer. It is a cancerous tumour or growth located within the thyroid gland. This can often lead to various symptoms of thyroid disease and tenderness/swelling.
- The ‘five year survival rate’ tells you what percentage of people live at least five years after the cancer is found. The five year survival rate for people with thyroid cancer is 98%. The ten year survival rate and fifteen year survival rate are 97% and 95%, respectively. So prospects are quite good.
- Those of us with Hashimoto’s (around 90% of hypothyroidism/underactive thyroid patients) are three times more likely to develop thyroid cancer.
- Thyroid cancer is two to three times more common in women compared to men, although the cause/s for thyroid cancer, are quite unknown.
Treatment for thyroid cancer typically ends in the patient becoming hypothyroid and requiring thyroid medication for life. However, treatment for thyroid cancer can depend on the type as well as size and stage.
- In most cases of thyroid cancer, the thyroid gland is surgically removed. This is known as a thyroidectomy. After a thyroidectomy, patients require lifelong thyroid medication, in order to replace what their non-existent thyroid is no longer producing for them. Thus, they become hypothyroid following a thyroidectomy.
- Some are given radioactive iodine treatment, also known as remnant ablation. This is often given to kill off any thyroid tissue remaining after the thyroid surgery, and also often ends in lifelong hypothyroidism.
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Rodrigo Arrangoiz MS, MD, FACS, FSSO 