Private MD News

Thyroid testing can help with early cancer detection

Category: Thyroid Diseases

A national newspaper is calling the rise of thyroid cancer rates a "medical mystery," though according to the Mayo Clinic, the increased numbers may be due to better detection technology.

USA Today reported diagnoses of cancer in the thyroid gland, which is found in the neck, have been increase at a rate of 6 percent every year. According to a National Cancer Institute analysis, that is a faster rate than cancers found elsewhere in the body.

Amy Chen, a head and neck surgeon at Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, told the news provider there was "something else going on" with the rise in thyroid cancer. Chen, who is also an American Cancer Society researcher, said larger thyroid tumors were being found at an increasing rate as well.

The Mayo Clinic has stated there are approximately 37,000 cases of thyroid cancer expected this year, which is an increase from 18,000 that were recorded in 2000.

People who are developing thyroid cancer will feel a lump in their neck, have a hard time swallowing and will experience a change in the sound of their voice. Thyroid testing can help those determine if they have the condition and get them early treatment.