Papillary Thyroid Cancer

The most common type of thyroid cancer is the papillary thyroid cancer. This disease is very rare in children and most common among women than men.

The occurrence of papillary thyroid cancer is illustrated according to the statistics available.

This disease is predicted by the examination of cancer cells by the doctor. Mostly all types of this cancer occur in elderly people but this papillary thyroid cancer occurs in young people as well

According to the statistics it is estimated that in the U.S the incidence has increased over 20% in the last 5 years. Approximately 1,400 people in the UK are diagnosed with this thyroid cancer each year. Finding the type of this cancer makes it easy to choose the method of best treatment option.

Papillary thyroid cancer tumors develop in cells that produce thyroid hormones containing iodine. The cancer cells, which grow very slowly, form many tiny, mushroom-shaped patterns in the tumor.

Causes of Papillary Thyroid Cancer

Though the exact cause of papillary thyroid cancer is not known certain risk factors help in knowing the probability of developing the disease. Being female increases the risk of developing the disease because according to the reports females are three times at high risk than males.

Also this occurs more frequently in whites than in blacks and affects women two to three times as often as men. This behavior of papillary thyroid cancer or for that matter any thyroid cancer is not clear.

One known risk factor is exposure to radiation during childhood. Research has shown that thyroid cancer patients face a significantly increased risk of developing a second primary cancer, and that risk is highest in the first year after its diagnosis.

Papillary Thyroid Cancer Symptoms

The most common symptom of the papillary thyroid cancer is a lump in the neck or a nodule in the neck which usually is painless but in some patient’s pain may also persist but this cannot be a sure indication of thyroid cancer. However, a few patients have a full or tight feeling in the neck, difficulty breathing or swallowing, swollen lymph nodes or hoarseness.

Please note that these symptoms can be caused by this disease or by other, less serious problems. If a person is experiencing symptoms, a doctor should be consulted immediately to avoid any further complications.

Papillary Thyroid Cancer Treatment

There are various treatment options available for this cancer. The first and foremost part is deciding the treatment method according to the stage of the cancer. The patient condition and also analyzing the good and bad things of the treatment are factors to be taken into account before starting the treatment.

Treatment may include surgery, whole-body radioisotope scanning, thyroid hormone replacement, internal radiotherapy, external radiotherapy and chemotherapy. Fortunately it is proved that doctors are successfully able to treat papillary thyroid cancer tumors.

In advanced cases of papillary thyroid cancer where the disease has spread from the tumor to the nearby lymph nodes also the treatment works better.

The fact that papillary thyroid cancer tumors account for about 60 percent of all thyroid cancers remains beneficial in the treatment process and achieving good results.