The thyroid gland is an endocrine gland that makes triiodothyronine and thyroxine and these hormones then control the metabolic rate of the body. Sometimes the thyroid cells undergo an uncontrollable cell proliferation and develop tumors. The types of thyroid cancer are such as –
- Papillary thyroid cancer – 70-80% of the cases
- Follicular thyroid cancer – 10% of the cases
- Medullary thyroid cancer – 6% of the cases
- Oncocytic thyroid cancer – 3% of the cases
- Anaplastic thyroid cancer – 1% of the cases
Symptoms –
- Difficulty in swallowing
- Shortness of breath
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Hoarseness
- Pain in neck and throat
- Persistent cough
- Swelling of the neck
Causes –
- Having a non-cancerous thyroid condition
- Family history of thyroid cancer
- Acromegaly – the body secretes excess growth hormone
- Familial adenomatous polyposis (bowel condition)
Diagnosis of thyroid cancer –
- Blood tests – to see thyroid hormone levels.
- Ultrasound – confirms the size of the tumor and also if it is solid or fluid-filled.
- Biopsy - collecting the sample cells to study them and confirm the condition.
- CT scan – computerized tomography used to find if the thyroid cancer is spread to other organs.
- PET SCAN – rarely done for thyroid cancer.
Treatment for thyroid cancer –
- Surgery –
- Partial thyroidectomy – only the lobe affected is removed.
- Total thyroidectomy – removing the complete gland.
- Lymph node removal – lymph nodes around the thyroid gland are also removed.
- Thyroid hormone replacement therapy – if the patient undergoes total thyroidectomy then they require hormone pills to satisfy the hormone requirement in the body.
- Radioactive iodine treatment – The patient consumes the radioactive iodine in pill form and it kills the abnormal cells leaving the normal cells unharmed.
- Radiation therapy – use of a controlled high-energy beam to kill the cancerous cells.
- Chemotherapy - use of strong medication to kill the cancerous cells of the gland.
- Immunotherapy – medications that strengthen the immune system to fight the cancer cells.
- Targeted therapy – use of medication that targets specific factors and pathways. Such as – Lenvanix 10mg capsules also known by the generic name Lenvatinib and it blocks the tyrosine kinase receptor inhibitor. Lenvanix blocks the functioning of VEGF and other factors that are involved in angiogenesis and disease progression. Some of the side effects of Lenvanix capsules are such as -
- Cough
- Hoarseness
- Mouth sores
- Heartburn
- Nausea
- Diarrhea
- Hair loss
- Fever
- Rashes
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Seizures
- Chest pain
Lenvanix 10mg capsules price is high however you can purchase it from Magicine Pharma at an affordable rate as they provide huge discounts with their medicines.
