Happy cancer? There are 4 types of thyroid cancer, not all of them are "easy", don't take it lightly

Recently, a news #19-year-old girl who often stays up late was diagnosed with thyroid cancer# became a hot topic, sparking discussions among netizens.

Xiaoling, a 19-year-old girl, had just entered college when she was diagnosed with thyroid cancer during the entrance physical examination.

After questioning, it was found that Xiaoling had an irregular lifestyle, often stayed up late, and liked to eat greasy food, so she was rather fat.

Fortunately, Xiaoling's thyroid cancer was in the early stages and she recovered well after the operation.

Thyroid cancer is a tumor that originates in the thyroid gland itself .

The thyroid gland is located below the throat and is the largest endocrine gland in the body.

It controls the secretion of thyroid hormones and is the regulator of the body's metabolic activities. It is known as the "engine of the human body."

Under normal circumstances, the thyroid gland is an essential organ for the human body. It can secrete many hormones and regulate the normal physiology of the human body.

But in special circumstances, the thyroid gland may develop nodules, which may slowly turn into thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer is one of the common malignant tumors. According to the latest data, the incidence of thyroid cancer in China increases at a rate of about 20.1% each year, with approximately 118,000 new cases .

Early thyroid cancer may not have any symptoms and is often only discovered through a physical examination.

Advanced thyroid cancer may cause corresponding clinical symptoms due to invasion of adjacent tissues or distant metastasis:

For example, a local hard mass may be felt in the primary thyroid lesion or cervical lymph node metastasis;

Hoarseness may occur if the tumor invades the recurrent laryngeal nerve;

Tumor invasion of the trachea can cause hemoptysis or respiratory distress;

Tumor invasion of the esophagus can cause dysphagia;

Tumor bone metastasis can cause pain;

Tumor lung metastasis can cause hemoptysis or pleural effusion.

Thyroid cancer is called "lazy cancer" and "happy cancer" by many people, and a few people even think it is not enough to be called cancer.

This is mainly because its malignancy is low and the disease progresses relatively slowly, so the chance of treatment is greater.

However, no matter how “lazy” thyroid cancer is, it will still go crazy!

According to the pathological classification of thyroid cancer, it can be divided into four subtypes: papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, medullary carcinoma, and undifferentiated carcinoma .

However, not all of these four types of thyroid cancer are easy to deal with.

01Papillary thyroid carcinoma

Papillary thyroid carcinoma is the most common type of differentiated thyroid cancer, accounting for 60% of all thyroid cancers in adults and all thyroid cancers in children .

Papillary carcinoma is a type of thyroid cancer in which cells in the thyroid tissue change into papillary-like structures and then become cancer.

Papillary carcinoma is relatively mild in nature and does not like to "make trouble", so patients generally do not have obvious symptoms .

Cancer cells grow extremely slowly , almost as slowly as benign tumor tissue, and can remain without noticeable development for many years.

The malignancy of papillary thyroid carcinoma is relatively low, and the cure rate is relatively high. Most patients with early and middle stage papillary thyroid carcinoma mainly have local lymph node metastasis, with relatively less chance of distant metastasis and relatively less blood metastasis. Therefore, through early detection, early diagnosis, and early treatment, it can be completely cured after surgical resection.

The 5-year survival rate after surgery is almost 100%, and the 10-year survival rate can reach 98%.

This is why many people often call papillary thyroid carcinoma the most benign cancer because it is easily cured.

02Follicular thyroid carcinoma

Follicular thyroid carcinoma is the second most common type of thyroid cancer, with the second largest number of patients after papillary carcinoma. It accounts for about 10% to 20% of thyroid cancers. It can occur at any age and is generally more common in iodine-deficient areas. The patients are often older .

It is more common in middle-aged and elderly women, with the peak age of onset being between 40 and 60 years old . The incidence rate in women is about three times that in men.

It mainly originates from thyroid follicular cells, which appear as follicles under a microscope, so we call it follicular carcinoma .

Follicular carcinoma and papillary carcinoma are similar in character. Their "three views" are also similar. They both adhere to the path of sustainable development, and their cancer cells grow relatively slowly.

Follicular carcinoma and papillary carcinoma are both called differentiated thyroid cancer because this type of cancer is more treatable and less malignant.

The ten-year survival rate of follicular carcinoma can be as high as over 95%, and the 20-year survival rate can be as high as over 78%.

03Medullary thyroid cancer

Medullary thyroid carcinoma is a rare thyroid malignancy. The cells from which it originates are different from those of the general thyroid gland. It originates from the parathyroid cells of the thyroid gland and originates from thyroid C cells (medullary cells).

Strictly speaking, they are part of the cells of the thyroid gland, but they are relatively few.

The incidence of medullary thyroid carcinoma accounts for 3% to 5% of all thyroid tumors, which is a relatively low incidence. Its malignancy is higher than that of papillary thyroid carcinoma and follicular carcinoma, but not as high as that of undifferentiated carcinoma. However, it is also a tumor with a relatively high degree of deterioration .

The tumors formed by this type of cancer usually secrete hormones and substances such as calcium and calcitonin, which cause a series of symptoms in the body.

Clinically, there are usually hard thyroid nodules or local lymph node enlargement first, and it can also spread to distant places through the blood.

Cancerous lesions may also be seen in other parts of the gland, with vascular invasion.

It can secrete calcitonin, but the blood calcium is generally normal and no symptoms of hypocalcemia appear. It can secrete prostaglandins, renin and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, causing corresponding symptoms.

Medullary thyroid cancer is 100% present in multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN) types 2 and 3, and the disease mostly occurs in people over 50 years old, with women slightly more likely to suffer from it than men.

Medullary thyroid cancer often has these 3 characteristics:

▲Family history : If there is a history of medullary thyroid cancer in the family, it is recommended to have a thyroid examination. The family history of thyroid cancer is very obvious.

▲History of diarrhea : 20%~30% of patients with medullary thyroid cancer will have persistent diarrhea for unknown reasons.

▲Laboratory examination : Calcitonin is significantly higher than normal.

In addition, patients with medullary thyroid cancer must undergo CEA and alpha-fetoprotein tests. These two laboratory tests can help diagnose medullary thyroid cancer.

If medullary thyroid cancer has metastasized to distant sites , the survival time is relatively short, about 3 years . If there is no distant metastasis , and the patient has undergone surgical treatment and is well monitored, the survival time may be more than 10 years .

04Anaplastic thyroid cancer

Anaplastic thyroid cancer, also known as anaplastic cancer and sarcoma cancer, is a highly malignant disease. It is relatively rare and mostly occurs in female patients over 40 years old . The cancer cells grow rapidly and can increase rapidly within two months. Generally, early patients can have systemic metastasis.

In short, the main features are fast growth and easy transfer.

It may manifest as rapid enlargement of cervical nodules, with an uneven and fixed surface, a local feeling of pressure, accompanied by symptoms such as difficulty breathing, hoarseness, neck pain, and unclear boundaries.

Patients with anaplastic cancer develop the disease in a short time and have a poor prognosis. Usually, the patient's life may be in danger within one year. Therefore, anaplastic cancer is a type of thyroid cancer with a higher degree of malignancy and a worse prognosis .

The general survival time is about 3 months to half a year. The survival rate within 1 year is only about 5% to 15%, and the 5-year survival rate is only 5%. Although radical surgical resection can improve the survival rate, local recurrence is the main cause of death.

The key point is that although the overall risk of death from thyroid cancer is low, medullary cancer and anaplastic cancer are not vegetarians, especially anaplastic cancer.

Although it appears rarely, it is extremely malignant and the median survival time of patients is only 3 to 6 months.

The second is medullary carcinoma. Although its malignancy is lower than that of undifferentiated carcinoma and its survival rate is slightly higher, it has the potential to invade the cervical lymph nodes and cause hematogenous metastasis, so it should not be underestimated once it occurs.

Moreover, the risk of death from papillary carcinoma and follicular carcinoma (differentiated thyroid cancer) tends to increase gradually and continuously with the increase of patient age.

So, cancer is cancer. The so-called "happy cancer" just has a relatively low mortality rate. But if you do not actively treat it, even the "lazy" cancer will rage and may cause death .

How to prevent thyroid cancer? Do these things to prevent nodules from developing easily !

① Remember these 7 points in life

▶Try to reduce or avoid exposure to ionizing radiation , such as avoiding contact with radioactive substances, reducing unnecessary CT or X-ray examinations, and protecting the neck when doing oral CT and other operations.

▶Pay attention to sleep , maintain a regular schedule, try to stay up late less , and fall asleep on time in a comfortable sleeping environment, with a sleep time of no less than 8 hours.

▶ Combine work and rest and avoid working continuously for long periods of time.

▶Keep a happy mood and avoid extreme mood swings . When you are emotional, take deep breaths and calm down.

▶Do not blindly take drugs or health products that regulate immune function .

▶Go for regular checkups as directed by your doctor .

▶Develop reasonable and healthy living habits, exercise actively and enhance immunity . Even if you have cancer, you can overcome it in its early stages.

② Eat strategically

Different dietary strategies are adopted for different conditions associated with thyroid nodules:

▶No thyroid dysfunction and no special dietary restrictions.

▶If you have diffuse goiter or hyperthyroidism , you need to eat non-iodized salt and try to avoid the intake of high-iodine foods such as seaweed and kelp.

▶If you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis , you need to eat less of the above iodine-containing foods, and choose low-iodine salt or iodine-free salt.

▶If you have endemic goiter , you need to consume iodized salt normally and pay attention to a rich and diversified diet.