Thyroid cancer doctor in Delhi

• The overall 5-year survival rate for somebody with thyroid cancer is 98%.

Some of the signs & symptoms of thyroid cancer are: 

• A lump in the neck, which sometimes grows quickly
• Swelling in the neck
• Pain in the front of the neck, sometimes going up to the ears
• Hoarseness or other voice changes that refuse to go away
• Trouble swallowing
• Trouble breathing
• A constant cough that is not due to a cold

The ‘TNM’ staging system

The system that is used most often for the staging of thyroid cancer was created by the American Joint Committee on Cancer. It is named the ‘TNM’ system, and it primarily focuses on 3 things:

• T: How big the main tumor is, and whether it has spread to other areas of the body.
• N: Whether the cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. 
• M: Whether the cancer has spread, or metastasized, to other parts of the body or organs, namely the lungs, liver, and bones.

Every type of thyroid cancer is staged according to the system.

The exact reason for developing thyroid cancer is not known. However, certain things can increase the odds of individuals getting it. Some of them are: 

• Inherited genetic syndromes

Many thyroid cancer cases come from inherited genes. In 2 out of 10 cases of medullary thyroid cancer, an abnormal gene has been inherited from the family. 

• Iodine deficiency

Iodine is an essential component required for the body. If the body doesn’t get it enough in the diet, an individual could be more at risk for certain thyroid cancers. It is rare in developed countries because iodine is added to salt or other foods. 

• Radiation exposure

If someone’s head or neck areas have been exposed to radiation treatment or radiation as a child, they are at a higher risk of developing certain types of thyroid cancer.

Being a leading thyroid cancer doctor in Delhi, Dr.P.K.Das and the team have the latest technology to diagnose thyroid cancer.

• Physical Exam

The cancer doctor examines the neck feeling for physical changes in the thyroid, like thyroid nodules. They might also ask the patient about risk factors, like family history of thyroid tumors, radiation exposure, etc. 

• Blood Tests

Blood tests cannot determine thyroid cancer. However, they can help show if the thyroid gland is working normally. This can help the doctor decide if and what other tests are required. They can also monitor some types of cancers. 

• Ultrasound Imaging

Using high-frequency sound waves ultrasound creates images of different body structures. During the procedure, the ultrasound transducer is placed in the lower neck. The thyroid’s appearance on the ultrasound helps the doctor determine whether a thyroid nodule is more likely to be noncancerous or whether there’s a risk of it being cancerous. 

• Biopsy

This procedure is called fine-needle aspiration biopsy. In it, the doctor inserts a long, thin needle through the skin into the thyroid nodule. It uses ultrasound to precisely guide the needle into the nodule. Then the needle removes samples of suspicious thyroid tissue, which is further analyzed in a laboratory to look for cancer cells. 

• Other Imaging Tests

Imaging tests other than ultrasound can also be performed by doctors to determine whether the thyroid cancer has spread beyond the thyroid. These imaging tests can include CT scans, MRI, and some nuclear imaging tests using radioactive forms of iodine.

• Genetic Testing

Individuals with medullary thyroid cancer may have certain genetic changes. These changes can be associated with certain endocrine cancers. An individual’s family history might prompt the doctor to recommend genetic testing, looking for genes that increase cancer risk.

The thyroid cancer treatment option is chosen for an individual based on the type & stage of thyroid cancer, overall health, and personal preferences. 

A large percentage of thyroid cancers are curable through treatment. 

• No Treatment

If the cancerous tumors are very small and have a low risk of spreading, they might not require immediate treatment. Instead, doctors may consider active surveillance along with frequent monitoring for this type of thyroid cancer. Some blood tests and an ultrasound of the neck might be recommended once or twice per year in this case. In some individuals the cancer might never grow or spread, requiring no treatment, ever. In others, eventual growth might be detected and treatment can be initiated. 

• Surgery

Many people diagnosed with thyroid cancer undergo surgery removing the thyroid. The type of surgery recommended by the doctor depends upon the type of thyroid cancer, it’s size, whether it has spread beyond the thyroid, & the results of an ultrasound exam of the entire thyroid gland. 

Different surgeries are recommended depending on different situations. There’s thyroidectomy which removes all or most of the thyroid, then there’s thyroid lobectomy, which involves removing a portion of the thyroid, and lastly, there is lymph node dissection involving the removal of lymph nodes in the neck. 

• Thyroid hormone therapy

Post thyroidectomy, cancer doctors may suggest thyroid hormone medications like levothyroxine (Levoxyl, Synthroid, others) for life. Such medication, especially this one, has two benefits primarily. Firstly, it supplies the body with the missing hormone that the thyroid normally produces, and secondly, it suppresses thyroid-stimulating hormone or TSH production from the pituitary gland. This helps beat cancer because high TSH levels can stimulate remaining cancer cells to grow. 

• Radioactive iodine

The radioactive iodine treatment utilizes large doses of a certain form of radioactive iodine. Mostly it is used after a thyroidectomy to destroy remaining healthy thyroid tissue (for safety) along with microscopic areas of thyroid cancer missed during surgery. This treatment may also be used for treating recurrent thyroid cancer that occurs after treatment or spreads to other body parts. The treatment comes in capsule or liquid form that the patient swallows.

While there’s a low risk of this treatment harmfully affecting other healthy cells, some side effects may include:

-Dry mouth

-Mouth pain

-Eye inflammation

-Altered sense of taste or smell

-Fatigue

• Radiation Therapy (External)

External radiation therapy using a machine aiming high-energy beams like X-rays & protons at precise points on the body are often used by doctors treating thyroid cancer. During this treatment, the patients lie still on a table while the machine moves around them.

Oncologists often recommend external radiation therapy in cases where surgery is not an option and cancer has continued to grow even after radioactive iodine treatment. It is also recommended after surgery sometimes if there’s a high risk of recurrence. 

• Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy is one of the most common treatments for cancer. But, it is not commonly used for thyroid cancer. However, it is recommended sometimes by doctors for individuals with anaplastic thyroid cancer. It uses drugs made from chemicals that kill fast-growing cells, including cancer cells. It can either be administered through pills or veins. It then travels throughout the body, quickly killing growing cells, like cancer cells. It is sometimes combined with radiation therapy in some treatment plans. 

• Targeted Therapy

Targeted therapy medications focus on unique abnormalities within the cancer cells. These drugs block the abnormalities causing cancer cells to die. In thyroid cancer, these drugs target the signals telling cancer cells to grow & further divide. 

Some targeted therapies like gefitinib have a higher response rate and longer progression-free survival rate compared to chemotherapy in thyroid cancer. It is mostly used in advanced thyroid cancer. 

• Alcohol injections into the cancer

For some thyroid cancers, alcohol ablation is used. It involves an injection of concentrated ethanol alcohol solution directly into the neck guided by imaging technology like ultrasound, ensuring precise placement. The solution cuts off the blood supply to cancer cells in the neck lymph nodes, in turn causing them to die/shrink. It can be an option if the cancer is small and surgery is not an option. It is also used sometimes to treat recurrent cancer in the lymph nodes post-surgery. 

Dr. P.K.Das offers excellent, latest options for cancer treatment in Delhi NCR.

Yes, thyroid cancer can spread to different parts of the body.

Young adults are disproportionately afflicted with differentiated thyroid cancers.

Surgery is the most common treatment for thyroid cancer.

Yes, if the thyroid is removed, life-long replacement medication is necessary.

Women are 5 times more likely than men to get thyroid cancer.