Diagnosis of Thyroid Cancer

• To help identify suspected areas that could be cancer.
• See how far cancer’s spread.
• To aid in determining whether the treatment is working.

Ultrasound uses sound waves for images of parts of your body. No radiation exposure takes place during this test.

This test will determine if a thyroid node is solid or liquid-filled. It also checks the number and size of thyroid glands and helps determine whether nearby lymph nodes have swollen because thyroid cancer has spread.

For thyroid nodules that are too small to feel, this test may be used to guide a biopsy needle into the nodule to obtain a sample.

Radioactive iodine scans can help determine whether a person with a bump in the neck could develop thyroid cancer. They are also often used in people who have previously been diagnosed with distinguished thyroid cancer to help demonstrate whether it has spread.

If you have been identified with thyroid cancer (particularly follicular thyroid cancer), a chest X-ray may be performed to see if cancer has spread to your lungs.

Computed tomography is an X-ray test that makes it possible to make detailed cross-sectional images of your body. It may help determine the size and location of thyroid cancers and whether they have spread to nearby regions.

A computed tomography scan can also be used to search for propagation in distant organs such as the lungs.

MRI studies use magnets rather than radiation to create detailed images of your sectioned body. MRI can be used to search for thyroid cancer or cancer that has spread to parts near or far from the body.

But ultrasound is generally the first option to look at the thyroid. MR may provide highly detailed images of soft tissues such as the thyroid gland. MRIs are also very useful in the examination of the brain and spinal cord.

A PET scan can be extremely useful if your thyroid cancer does not absorb radioactive iodine. When this happens, PET Scan may be able to tell if cancer has spread.

The real diagnosis of thyroid cancer is done with a biopsy, in which the cells of the suspect area are removed and examined in the laboratory.

If your doctor thinks a biopsy is necessary, the easiest way to find out if a thyroid tumor is cancerous is with a fine thyroid needle.

Thyroid tumors may sometimes affect the vocal cords. If you are going to undergo surgery to treat thyroid cancer, laryngoscopy will probably be performed first to see if the vocal cords are moving normally.