Signs and symptoms

**Medullary thyroid cancer** Medullary thyroid cancer is very rare. According to the statistics of the American Thyroid Association, medullary thyroid cancer accounts for 1 to 2% of all thyroid cancers. The first symptom of medullary thyroid cancer is the appearance of painless lumps in the front of the patient's neck. Fortunately, if this type of thyroid cancer is diagnosed, it can be treated in time. The cancer is called thyroid cells and parafollicular cells are attacked. The cells secrete a hormone called calcitonin which regulates and controls blood calcium levels....Medullary cancer unlike other types of thyroid cancer is known as a familial (hereditary) cancer....However, in most cases (75%) genetics may not be involved, but what kind of thyroid cancer is it?** Scientists have not yet discovered the exact cause of medullary carcinoma MTC....but 40-50% of people with MTC have a mutation in the RET gene....this means that patients have the genetic mutation in life and were not born with it....if you have the RET gene mutation, you may be able to have preventive surgery to remove your thyroid gland..cases, this thyroid cancer is caused by an inherited disease called endocrine neoplasia Multiple (MEN2) can actually be the cause of this hereditary disease and due to family history... Since this cancer spreads very slowly and without symptoms, it is a little difficult to detect it early.. The first symptom that appears is that a patient with medullary thyroid cancer feels a painless lump in the front of his neck... ### **Common symptoms in medullary thyroid carcinoma** The most common symptoms of medullary thyroid cancer include the following: - Swelling in the neck near the thyroid gland (enlarged lymph nodes) - Dry cough with blood - Disturbance and difficulty in swallowing - shortness of breath If the cancer cells progress and spread, the symptoms become more severe and acute, and other symptoms are added to the previous symptoms, which include: - Creating a large mass in the neck - Pain and discomfort in the neck, jaw and ears - Feeling of suffocation - Changing the tone of the voice (dry voice) In more advanced stages of cancer, very high amounts of calcitonin are produced, which can lead to diarrhea and flushing. When a patient feels a lump in their neck, especially if it is accompanied by the following symptoms, they should see a specialist as soon as possible. These symptoms include: - Tiredness for no reason and a bruised feeling that does not improve after a certain period of time.... - Difficulty in swallowing (with pain) - No improvement in sore throat - Pain in the neck It is necessary to explain that not all lumps in the neck are cancerous.. In some medical conditions, lumps in the neck are caused by swelling of the lymph nodes.. After clinical examination, taking the patient's history and examining the medical history, the specialist asks the patient to do the following for the final diagnosis of cancer: - Thyroid ultrasound to check the mass structure - Thyroid scan to detect the temperature of the mass (hot or cold) - Biopsy or needle aspiration (**thyroid sampling** from the mass for testing and further examination in the laboratory) - Blood test to check the level of thyroid hormones and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH)... #### **thyroid surgery** The best way to treat medullary thyroid cancer is thyroid surgery... After evaluating and treating any other endocrine disease such as pheochromocytoma, a specialist surgeon performs thyroidectomy on all patients with this type of cancer... In this type of surgery, all lymph nodes and fatty tissues in the central neck area are removed... Since the goal of surgery is to completely remove the thyroid gland and all these areas, experienced and experienced.. For **thyroid cancer treatment**, the appearance of the patient's neck and sensitive structures such as laryngeal nerves and parathyroid glands, which are not affected by cancer cells, must be preserved... so that the patient's performance and quality of life should not be overshadowed by this type of disease and treatment... #### **Radiotherapy** #### *Chemotherapy** After the treatment of medullary carcinoma, the doctor will check the level of CEA and calcitonin through blood tests.... In this way, it is possible to ensure the effectiveness of the treatment or the recurrence of the cancer.... Medullary cancer is usually more aggressive than other types of thyroid cancer.... If it is detected before it spreads to the neck or other parts of the body, it is easier to treat it. Modern methods and neurometer devices perform thyroid surgery. The skill and experience of the surgeon makes the complications of thyroid surgery to be as minimal as possible.** He is one of the active members of the American Thyroid Association and has the experience of more than 5000 successful thyroid operations... To make an appointment, you can make an appointment by filling out the online reservation form or calling the listed numbers... ### ** What is the difference between papillary and medullary thyroid cancer? **Papillary thyroid cancer** is the most common type of thyroid cancer... it accounts for about 80% of all thyroid cancer diagnoses... medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) is rarer... papillary thyroid cancer begins in thyroglobulin-producing follicular cells in the thyroid... calcitonin is a hormone... papillary thyroid cancer is often caused by radiation exposure So, while modularity is not like this and we explained the reasons for it in this blog... **Related articles:** **Does thyroid cancer need chemotherapy?** **When is thyroid cancer surgery necessary?**