Courtesy of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center

Your thyroid gland sits in the front of your neck, just above your collarbone. It manages your metabolism, digestion, body temperature, mood, excitability, pulse, and heart rate. With all this work to do, it’s important to not take this little butterfly-shaped endocrine gland for granted – especially regarding  thyroid cancer.

“Thyroid cancer doesn’t cause any symptoms in its early stages,” says  Vishal Gupta, MD, surgical oncologist, Head & Neck/Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Since there is no recommended screening or standard test for thyroid cancer, it is difficult to detect.

Relatively uncommon, thyroid cancer accounts for only 1% of all types of diagnosed cancers. It occurs in people of all ages, and most cases can be treated effectively. Women are diagnosed with thyroid cancers three times more often than men, usually in their 40s and 50s, while men are usually diagnosed in their 60s or 70s. Conditions that may increase the risk  for thyroid cancers include family history; radiation exposure during childhood through X-rays or radiation therapy; insufficient dietary iodine; obesity; and hereditary conditions, such as medullary thyroid cancer and familial medullary thyroid cancer.

Breast cancer patients may also be more susceptible to developing thyroid cancer due to the presence of genes involved in both breast and thyroid cancer — and radiation therapy to the chest or neck area. This is why women with a history of breast radiation therapy need to have their thyroid checked as part of their  Survivorship care. Dr. Gupta says, “Having risk factors doesn’t guarantee you’ll develop thyroid cancer, but it’s essential to stay informed and seek medical advice if needed.” Your doctor may also recommend blood tests or ultrasounds for monitoring early signs if you have a family history of certain types of thyroid cancer, like medullary thyroid cancer or a genetic condition.

Common symptoms of thyroid cancer are a lump in your neck which may grow over time; changes to your voice, such as hoarseness; difficulty swallowing; neck or throat pain; swollen neck lymph glands; and feeling that close-fitting collars are too tight. These symptoms can be caused by other conditions, but Dr. Gupta recommends seeing a doctor if you are experiencing any of them. If a physical exam suggests that you have swollen lymph nodes in your neck or a lump on your thyroid gland, your doctor will likely order a blood test, X-ray, ultrasound, CT scan, MRI, PET scan, or radioiodine scan. Your doctor may also recommend having a fine-needle aspiration biopsy, a procedure in which a thin needle is inserted into the suspicious area to draw cells into a syringe to be sent to the lab for evaluation by a pathologist.

Roswell Park is a National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive center that offers expert, individualized care for thyroid diseases, including cancer. “Our specialists evaluate each patient’s condition, discuss all treatment options, and design a comprehensive, individualized treatment plan that fits the patient’s specific needs and lifestyle. We are committed to providing care for the whole person, not just the disease,” Dr. Gupta says. Call 1-800-767-9355 to make an appointment.