9/24/2022 The Cancer of the Butterfly Gland!
![]() Wait! No Signs or Symptoms? That's right! Almost no signs or symptoms are present during the early stages of thyroid cancer development. In most cases, a painless lump, known as a nodule, will develop around the neck area. If the disease progresses to its advanced stages, some patients may experience swelling of the neck, voice changes, and difficulty swallowing. If you are starting to worry, don't! Tiny thyroid nodules exist undetected in one in every three adults. Most nodules located on the thyroid are benign, meaning noncancerous. The American Thyroid Association does not recommend the biopsy of nodules less than 1 cm. Nodules less than 1 cm are benign, but if you notice a lump or swelling on your neck, it is always best to check with your doctor. When the diameter exceeds 1 cm, this may indicate something serious. Early detection is critical, so advocating for more routine thyroid examinations is essential. ![]() What Do We Know About the Molecular Mechanism of Thyroid Cancer? Thyroid cancer is a common malignancy of the endocrine system. Hence, players in the signaling pathways that respond to changes in thyroid levels are altered in thyroid cancer. The alterations include genetic changes such as mutations, copy number variation, and epigenetic changes such as aberrant DNA methylation. What is Thyroid, and What Does it Do? The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in front of our necks, directly below the voice box. Its primary purpose is to regulate our body's metabolism. In humans, the thyroid hormone is crucial to regulate the body's metabolism, development, growth, and neural differentiation. The Thyroid produces three main hormones: triiodothyronine (T3), thyroxine (T4), and calcitonin. These hormones instruct your cells on how much energy to use. Iodine from the diet is a critical building block of T3 and T4 hormones. More specifically, T3 and T4 regulate your metabolism and body temperature, whereas calcitonin is responsible for maintaining calcium levels in your blood and bone health. Calcitonin opposes the function of the parathyroid hormone, which increases blood calcium levels. When there is an imbalance of thyroid hormones, side effects such as weight gain or weight loss and an overall loss of energy are common. The "MVP"- The Pituitary Gland The pituitary gland is located at the base of the brain and is responsible for producing a hormone called TSH, or the Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. The TSH triggers the thyroid cells to make the thyroid hormones: T3 and T4. When levels of thyroxine and triiodothyronine are elevated, the pituitary gland does not produce TSH. When T4 and T3 levels drop, the pituitary gland makes more TSH. My Story: An Insight into the Beginning Stages of Thyroid Cancer Development Thyroid nodules develop in approximately 5%- 7% of individuals during physical examination. You might think, "This will never happen to me, right?" Until middle school, I had the same thought process, until one day, during a routine doctor's visit, I heard the words, "Have you ever noticed this lump on your neck?" I thought to myself, "Lump on my neck? That can't be possible; I would definitely notice something like that." But I was wrong. I didn't notice any lump on my neck, though it was already grown past the size of being suspicious, almost 1 inch in diameter. That day, I scheduled an appointment with Le Bonheur's Children's Hospital to get a biopsy on the thyroid lump. During this procedure, a small tissue sample was collected from the nodule and sent to a laboratory to test for cancerous activity. When the results returned as benign, I felt like a great weight lifted off my shoulders. Although harmless, I was informed the likelihood of it developing into cancer is high. At that moment, I had two options: have the nodule biopsied every six months to monitor its development or undergo a partial thyroidectomy to remove the nodule and half my thyroid gland. After thoroughly thinking about the pros and cons of each, I decided I wanted to minimize my risk of developing cancer in the future, so I decided to undergo surgery to have half my thyroid removed. In some cases, partial thyroid removal will still incite normal thyroid function. However, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid, after my surgery. I was prescribed levothyroxine, a medicine to replace the missing thyroid hormone thyroxine. To this day, I am very thankful to my primary provider and the staff at Le Bonheur's Children's Hospital for helping me through one of the scariest times in my life. What are the Types of Thyroid Cancer? There are two main subtypes of thyroid cancer: differentiated and undifferentiated. Differentiated thyroid cancers originate from follicular cells responsible for producing thyroid hormones. These cancer cells resemble healthy thyroid cells and respond well to treatment. The two common types in this category are Papillary Thyroid Cancer, making up to 80% of thyroid cancer, and Follicular Thyroid Cancer, which constitutes 10-15%. Non-differentiated thyroid cancer originates from cells that control calcium levels. These cancer cells do not look like healthy thyroid cells and do not respond well to treatment. With a lower frequency of occurrence, Medullary Thyroid Cancer, Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer, and Thyroid Lymphoma are the three common types of non-differentiated cancer. What Do We Know About the Molecular Mechanism of Thyroid Cancer? Thyroid cancer is a common malignancy of the endocrine system. Hence, players in the signaling pathways that respond to changes in thyroid levels are altered in thyroid cancer. The alterations include genetic changes such as mutations, copy number variation, and epigenetic changes such as aberrant DNA methylation. Several gene mutations lead to various types of thyroid cancer. Mutations in the BRAF gene, coding for the BRAF V600E protein, constitute 45% of papillary thyroid cancer cases. Mutations in the RET/PTC oncogene exist in 10-20% of papillary thyroid cancer cases. The second most common mutation in thyroid cancer is in the RAS protein. The RAS mutations preferentially activate the PI3K–AKT signaling pathway in thyroid tumorigenesis. A comprehensive review of all gene alterations contributing to thyroid cancers can be found here. Why Should You Care? This year, over 45,000 people in the United States will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Of those 45,000 individuals, approximately 2,000 will lose their life to the disease. Worldwide, thyroid cancer affects over half a million individuals, with 50,000 dying due to the condition. Knowing more about the disease will help improve our treatment options and patient care quality. If that isn't reason enough, thyroid cancer research can help us to understand more about how cancer works in general, and the findings may transfer to treatment for other cancers. Thyroid cancer awareness is recognized one month out of the year, but after reading this article, I hope you educate people about thyroid cancer every time you get the chance
Hailey
9/26/2022 09:17:14 pm
I found this article very insightful and well written. Thank you for being so smart!!
Victoria
9/27/2022 12:51:27 pm
Well written and very enlightening! <3 Comments are closed.
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