The Good News about Thyroid Cancer

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 15:33:55 +0000

It’s a butterfly-shaped gland found in the center of the neck. While small, the thyroid gland plays an important role in the body. “It’s kind of like a thermostat for the body. It regulates how hot and cold you are, it regulates your metabolism, and it’s very, very common to have cancer in this gland,” said Dr. Anthony Anfuso, an otolaryngologist on the medical staff of Lee Health.

Thyroid cancer can affect patients as young as their 20s and is more common in women than men. “Exposure to radiation therapy is a known risk of thyroid cancer, and it can run in families as well. But most often it’s a sporadic finding,” said Dr. Anfuso.

There are times when patients develop a lump in their neck, but more often patient’s thyroid will be functioning normally, and they will have no symptoms. The cancer is simply discovered through an imaging procedure like a cat scan or an ultrasound. “The good news about thyroid cancer is survival rate is greater than 98 percent,” he said.

Studies have found that in many cases thyroid cancer behaves in a non-aggressive way. “One interesting study did an autopsy on patients who died from a variety of reasons, and a third of them were found to have thyroid cancer that never caused any problems throughout their life,” said Dr. Anfuso.

But if patients are diagnosed, doctors say it needs to be treated to prevent future health problems. “A lot of times surgery is all you need, so that’s great. You get the thyroid removed. You have to take medicine, which is thyroid hormone, for the rest of your life. But after that many times you’re cured,” he said.

The quick procedure leaves patients with a small scar on their neck but allows them to quickly get back on their feet.

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Lee Health in Fort Myers, FL is the largest network of health care facilities in Southwest Florida and is highly respected for its expertise, innovation and quality of care. For more than 100 years, we’ve been providing our community with personalized preventative health services and primary care to highly specialized care services and robotic assisted surgeries. Lee Health - Caring People. Inspiring Care.

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