While women tend to be most concerned with cancers such as breast, colorectal, and endometrial, thyroid cancer should be on the radar. It’s three times more common in women than in men and most often occurs in women in their 40s and 50s, according to the Cleveland Clinic. That’s why, especially if you fall into this demographic, knowing the number-one sign of thyroid cancer is so important.
Meet the experts: Kyle Zanocco, M.D., an endocrine surgeon and an associate clinical professor in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA; Melanie Goldfarb, M.D., an endocrine surgeon and director of the Center for Endocrine Tumors and Disorders at Providence Specialty Medical Group in Santa Monica, CA; David Yashar, M.D., a hematologist and medical oncologist at MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA.
“Thyroid cancer is an abnormal growth of thyroid cells that has the potential to spread to other parts of the body,” Kyle Zanocco, M.D., an endocrine surgeon and an associate clinical professor in the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, previously told Prevention. It occurs when thyroid cells—which make up the butterfly-shaped gland that sits below your voice box—acquire genetic mutations that lead to uncontrolled growth, explained Dr. Zanocco. The vast majority of thyroid cancers are not aggressive and carry a very good prognosis. However, diagnosis can be tricky.
“Thyroid cancer in general has no signs or symptoms. Most patients have a normal functioning thyroid, so there will not be any symptoms of your thyroid working too much or too little,” explains Melanie Goldfarb, M.D., an endocrine surgeon and director of the Center for Endocrine Tumors and Disorders at Providence Specialty Medical Group in Santa Monica, CA. Still, she points to one symptom that should definitely prompt a call to your doctor. “If you have a new mass in your neck, you should get it checked out by your physician so they can rule out a thyroid nodule or cancer,” Dr. Goldfarb says.
These lumps are typically painless, and only about 5% turn out to be cancerous, per the Cleveland Clinic (the rest are benign clusters of cells that are not a cause for concern). Still, a new growth is always worth a visit to your doctor. “For me, early detection of thyroid cancer is key,” says David Yashar, M.D., a hematologist and medical oncologist at MemorialCare Todd Cancer Institute at Long Beach Medical Center in Long Beach, CA. “We know that patient outcomes are better when we can detect cancer at the earliest stage possible.”
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