Best thyroid cancer treatment for early and advanced stages | Affordable Thyroid cancer treatment cost in India
Thyroid cancer is the ninth most common cause of cancer worldwide in 2020 with 586,202 cases according to World Cancer Research Fund International.
Detection of thyroid cancer itself is a matter of grave concern. However, with the advancement of technology in thyroid cancer treatment in India, the survival rates are also increasing.
Let me introduce you, one of our patients Christy from Cape Town, South Africa.
Christy is a 38-year-old working woman recently married. Christy’s husband is very caring and supportive. Christy’s dream is to have a world tour with her husband.
Three years back, Christy felt she had lost her taste bud and found difficulty in swallowing the food. She was also having neck pain. She visited the doctor for a check-up with her husband.
The doctor examined Christy’s throat and suggested she do a blood test to check thyroid functioning and ultrasound. The next day, the doctor called Christy to come and meet, the doctor informed Christy about the presence of a solid nodule in her thyroid and suggested doing a CT scan.
Christy did the CT scan and thyroid cancer was confirmed. The doctor suggested she consult an ENT oncologist.
After listening to the news of cancer Christy and her husband Dave both were in shock. Dave supported Christy and told her we would get the best treatment.
Dave, while researching for the best treatment for thyroid cancer, came across the MedicoExperts website and left his inquiry for her wife.
The MedicoExperts team got in touch with Dave and explained to him about the Tumor Board approach for thyroid cancer treatment and also arranged online video consultation with the ENT oncologist doctor.
During the video consultation, the doctors explained the treatment protocol and cleared all the doubts regarding the treatment.
Dave and Christy, after understanding all the aspects of treatment, decided to come to India for treatment.
After 15 Days, Christy and Dave both came to India and on the same day, Christy got admitted to the hospital.
An evaluation test was performed to check the current condition of thyroid cancer. The report suggested it’s slow-growing thyroid cancer in one part of the thyroid and no suspicious nodules in other areas of the thyroid.
So the surgical oncologist decided to do a thyroid lobectomy in which the surgeon removes half of the thyroid. After the surgery radiation therapy was given.
A re-evaluation test was performed to check the outcome of the treatment and no cancer was detected.
Both Christy and Dave were very happy and thanked the doctors and MedicoExperts team.
This can be your story as well to win the battle against thyroid cancer. What you need is the right guidance, right treatment at the right time from the experts.
Before we start the discussion on different treatment options for thyroid cancer, let’s understand what thyroid cancer is.
Thyroid cancer occurs in thyroid cells, a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the neck, right under Adam’s apple. Your thyroid is a hormone that regulates your heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and weight.
Thyroid cancer may not cause symptoms when it starts. However, as it grows, it may cause pain and swelling in the neck.
There are different kinds of thyroid cancer. Some of them develop very slowly and some of them can be very aggressive. Most people with thyroid cancer can be treated.
What are the different types of thyroid cancer?
Types of thyroid carcinoma include:
Papillary thyroid cancer
Papillary thyroid cancer is a differentiated form of thyroid cancer. It’s the most common type. This is most common among women of childbearing age. It is less dangerous than other types of cancer. It spreads more slowly, and it’s quite treatable.
Medullary thyroid cancer
Another differentiated form of thyroid cancer is medullary cancer of the thyroid.
Medullary thyroid cancer develops in non-thyroid cells located in the thyroid gland. The treatment is different from other forms of thyroid cancer.
Follicular thyroid cancer
Follicular thyroid cancer is the type of thyroid cancer that has the greatest potential to spread and occur again.
Anaplastic thyroid cancer
Anaplastic thyroid cancer is the most aggressively diagnosed form of thyroid cancer. This is rare and difficult to deal with.
Thyroid lymphoma
This is a rare form of thyroid cancer. It starts in the immune cells that are in the thyroid gland.
The tumor is 2 cm or less, and has not grown out of the thyroid. It did not spread to surrounding lymph nodes or remote locations.
The diameter of the primary tumor lies between 2 and 4 cm. There are no cancer cells in the regional lymph nodes or distant places in the body.
The primary tumor has a diameter greater than 4 cm or started to grow outside the thyroid gland. Cancer has not been detected in lymph nodes or other areas of the body.
The primary tumor is larger than 4 cm, or has grown outside the thyroid, but has not spread to adjacent lymph nodes or beyond (differentiated cancers only).
The tumor may be of any size or develop outside the thyroid, and has spread to the lymph nodes in the neck, but no further.
This is the most advanced stage of thyroid cancer, is subdivided according to where cancer spread:
Stage 4A
At this stage, cancers developed beyond the thyroid gland and may have spread to neighboring tissues, or they may have spread to the lymph nodes of the neck and upper chest, but not to remote sites.
Stage 4B
The primary tumor developed in the spinal column or in the adjacent large blood vessels. In this stage of thyroid cancer, it may or may not have spread to the lymph nodes, but did not reach remote sites.
Stage 4C
Thyroid cancer cells metastasized or propagated to remote sites.
Let’s now understand the signs and symptoms of Thyroid cancer.
Thyroid cancer generally does not cause any signs or symptoms at the beginning of the disease. As thyroid cancer develops, it has the potential to cause:
- A lump (nodule) that may be felt across the skin of your neck.
- Changes to your tone, including growing hoarseness.
- Swallowing difficulty
- Painful neck and throat.
- Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck.
Let’s now understand the causes and risk factors of Thyroid cancer.
The following factors can raise the risk of thyroid cancer:
- Exposed to elevated levels of radiation.
- Radiotherapy of the head and neck increases the risk of thyroid cancer.
- Certain hereditary genetic syndromes.
Let’s now understand how Thyroid cancer is diagnosed.
Thyroid cancer can be diagnosed after someone goes to the doctor for symptoms, or it can be found during a regular physical examination or other tests.
Individuals who have or could have thyroid cancer will undergo one or more of these tests.
- 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