About this Cancer
Thyroid cancer is a lot more common in women, accounting for over double the number of male diagnoses, and ranking 7th most common cancer for women.
According to the CCS, it is estimated that in 2024, 6,600 Canadians will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer, of which 2,000 are men and 4,700 are women. The cancer ranks at 12 overall, on a downtrend compared to previous years.
A small number of patients die from the cancer, estimating that 280 will pass, of which 130 are men and 150 are women.
Source: Canadian Cancer Society (2024)
Symptoms of thyroid cancer include:
– A hard, non-painful lump in the front, lower part of the neck
– Hoarse voice
– Sore throat or cough that doesn’t go away
– Difficulty swallowing or breathing
– Pain in the front of the neck
– Red face
– Diarrhea
– Weight loss
For more information, check out the Canadian Cancer Society, cancercenter.com,
Different subtypes of thyroid cancer stem from different risk factors. Those include:
– Sex and age
– Hereditary conditions and syndromes (FMTC, MEN2A, MENB, …)
– Exposure to ionizing radiation (radiation therapy, imaging tests…)
– Non-cancerous conditions of the thyroid (inflammation, nodules,…)
– Family history
– Obesity
– Tall height
– Acromegaly (producing too many hormones)
– Systemic lupus erythematosus
For more information, check out the Canadian Cancer Society, Cancer Research UK, MCK Cancer Center
Diagnosis options for thyroid cancer include:
– Physical exam and medical history
– Thyroid function blood tests
– Removing a sample of thyroid tissue
– Radioiodine scan
– Other imaging tests (CT, MRI, ultrasound, x-ray, PET)
– Genetic testing
– Laryngoscopy
– Biopsy
For more information, check out the Canadian Cancer Society, Mayo Clinic, or the American Cancer Society.
Treatment options vary depending on the stage of the cancer, where it’s located (localized, or metastatic), its subtype (papillary, follicular, anaplastic, medullary), if it’s recurrent, etc. Options include:
– Surgery
– Thyroid hormone therapy
– Radioactive iodine
– Alcohol ablation, or ethanol ablation
– Targeted drug therapy
– Radiation therapy
– Chemotherapy
– Radiofrequency ablation or cryoablation
– Chemotherapy
For more information, check out Mayo Clinic, the National Cancer Institute, the American Cancer Society, or the Canadian Cancer Society.
Stories from Survivors
If you have any thyroid cancer stories, please send them to us at info@survivornet.ca.
Resources
– Do thyroid cancer patients need a low-iodine diet?
– Foods Good And Bad For A Thyroid Tumor – Diag
– Is There a Diet and Fitness Plan for Thyroid Cancer?
– Preparing for radioactive iodine treatment for thyroid cancer
– Symptoms of Thyroid Cancer – UCLA Health (YouTube)
– Thyroid cancer – causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology
– Thyroid Cancer Prevention: Top 5 Things You Can Do
– Thyroid cancer should eat and avoid what?
– July 4, 2024 – Environmental factors related to the origin and evolution of differentiated thyroid cancer: a narrative review– Taylor & Francis Online
– December 4, 2023 – Genomic alterations in thyroid cancer: biological and clinical insights – nature.com
– November 14, 2023 – Thyroid cancer and insulin resistance – Springer Link
– October 17, 2023 – Ai in thyroid cancer diagnosis: Techniques, trends, and future directions – MDPI
– July 2023 – Molecular basis and targeted therapy in thyroid cancer: Progress and opportunities – Science Direct
– March 1, 2021 – Thyroid cancer incidence trends by histology in 25 countries: a population-based stud – The Lancet
– June 2020 – Global trends in thyroid cancer incidence and the impact of overdiagnosis – The Lancet
– June 2020 – Risk Factors for Thyroid Cancer: What Do We Know So Far? – PubMed
Thyroid Cancer Groups
The Thyroid Foundation of Canada: The Thyroid Foundation of Canada is a non-profit registered volunteer organization whose mission is to support thyroid patients across Canada through awareness, education, and research. Funds to support the programs of the foundation come mainly through membership and donations. Visit them at https://thyroid.ca/
– American Thyroid Association (USA)
– Association For Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia Disorders (AMEND) (UK)
– Australian Thyroid Foundation (AUS)
– British Thyroid Foundation (UK)
– Butterfly Thyroid Cancer Trust (UK)
– Graves’ Disease & Thyroid Foundation (USA)
– Light of Life Foundation (USA)
– ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association (USA)