One more for September - Thyroid Cancer

September was busy for those of us who make an effort to educate people about cancer awareness. We've already covered childhood cancers, gynecological cancers, and blood cancers... finally we are sharing some information about Thyroid cancer.

According to the American Cancer Society, the incidence rate for thyroid cancer has been increasing sharply since the mid-1990s, and it is the fastest-growing cancer in both men and women. Three out of four cases of thyroid cancer occur in women. This means that 36,015 of the 48,020 estimated diagnoses in 2011 will be in our sisters, mothers, daughters, and girlfriends. If you aren't concerned for yourself, we hope you'll read and share the following information for their sake.

The most common symptom of thyroid cancer is a lump in the neck. This is why your doctor always feels your neck when you pay them your annual visit. Lymph nodes in your neck and your thyroid gland are good indicators when something is amiss that hasn't yet been detected through other physical signs. Other symptoms include:

• tight or full feeling in the neck
• difficulty breathing or swallowing
• hoarseness and pain in the throat
• neck that does not go away

Although most lumps in the thyroid gland are not cancerous, individuals who detect an abnormality should pay a visit to their doctor as soon as possible to rule out the possibility of cancer.

There are a few risk factors associated with thyroid cancer, the most common of which include being female, a family history of thyroid cancer, history of goiter or other non-malignant thyroid condition, and radiation exposure related to medical treatment during childhood.

Our resource room at Highlands Oncology Group in Rogers stocks a great deal of materials about different types of cancer. Stop by, or contact one of our social workers to request more information.