As the name suggests, thyroid cancer occurs in the thyroid glands, which is located below the Adam’s apple. Thyroid glands play an essential role in the metabolism of the body. Thyroid glands produce hormones which help to regulate body weight, heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and weight.

In thyroid cancer, a lump occurs in the neck and grows quickly along with swelling in the neck. A person finds it difficult to swallow food as the disease progresses.

Here are the causes of thyroid cancer:

Thyroid cancer occurs when thyroid cells undergo genetic changes. This leads to cells’ overgrowth. The cells here do not die (as any typical cell would). The bunch of these overgrown cells forms a tumor in the thyroid glands. These cells can attack nearby organs too and can spread cancer in the whole body.

Apart from overgrowth, one more factor that can cause cancer in thyroid glands is changes in a person’s DNA. We receive DNA patterns from our ancestors and parents. Most of the times, our DNA decides the disorders or conditions a person would come across in his/her life. DNA influences the possibilities of risk occurrences and certain diseases including cancer.

Here is the diagnosis of thyroid cancer:

Physical exam: During the physical exam, the doctor will examine if there are any physical changes in the thyroid glands and would inquire if you are experiencing any changes lately. The doctor might ask about your family history and your lifestyle to find out whether you have been exposed to any radiation in the recent past.

Blood tests: Blood tests are done to find out whether the thyroid gland is functioning properly or not.

Removing a sample of thyroid tissue: While conducting a fine-needle biopsy, the doctor will insert a long, thin needle into your skin and reach the thyroid nodule to take the thyroid tissue samples (of the affected or subspecies tissues). By using ultrasound imaging, the needle is injected into the thyroid nodule. The sample of suspicious tissues is examined in the laboratory to find out the presence of cancer cells.

Imaging tests: A single imaging test might not be enough to find out the presence of cancer accurately. A person might be advised to go through one or more imaging tests, just to help the doctor determine correctly whether cancer has spread beyond the thyroid glands.

Computerized Tomography (CT) scans: The CT scan will have to get in-depth cross-sectional images of the body. These images will give an exact location and size of thyroid cancers, and the doctors can know if cancer has spread to nearby areas.

Positron Emission Tomography (PET): A PET scan is recommended if the thyroid cancer doesn’t take up radioactive iodine. In such a situation, the PET scan will tell if cancer affected tissues have spread.

Genetic testing: People suffering from medullary thyroid cancer may undergo genetic changes that can be related to other endocrine cancers. The family history of a person may signal your doctor to recommend a genetic test.