With thyroid cancer showing increasing trend among children and adults alike, health experts have called for looking for early signs — a lump or swelling in the throat for early detection of the disease.
Dr CS Bal, Professor and Head, Department of Nuclear Medicine, Delhi-based AIIMS said, “Thyroid cancer patients, if treated early and on time, can reach a stage when they are disease free.”
He cited a case of a patient, who was detected with Thyroid cancer with lymphnode and lungs metastases when he was 16 years old. “He was treated with radioactive iodine and on regular follow-ups, and today, at the age of 48, he is disease-free and now may not need any further follow-up,” he added.
According to the doctor, Thyroid cancer is the most common cancer of the endocrine system and occurs in all age groups, including children. In India, the number of new cases of thyroid cancer is 1-2 per 1,00,000 men and women per year.
Dr Bal added, “I am sure that India has one of the highest burdens of thyroid cancer, and, on an average, we see at least 700 cancer cases a year in our hospital alone, it is a cancer with the second burden in the US and there are reports that say that by 2030 it will be the most prominent cancer in the world.”
Dr Ashraf Ganani, senior endocrinologist from AIIMS explained that thyroid cancers are of many types such as follicular thyroid cancer, anaplastic thyroid cancer, medullary thyroid cancer and Papillary thyroid cancer to name a few. The last one is the most common cancer and is witnessing an increasing trend particularly among youngsters.
“Thyroid cancer is highly curable and not a death sentence, with the right treatment all patients live a normal healthy life,” said Dr Deepak Sarin, Head and Neck Oncology Surgery, Medanta Hospital.
In keeping with the need of the hour, the World Thyroid Day which was observed on Wednesday was aptly themed, “Early detection key to treating Thyroid cancer.”