Hi I Just Read Your Story
Hi, I just read your story and I to had stage IV papillary thyroid cancer which had spread to my lymph nodes in my neck. My thyroglobulin levels are continually going lower but I have told myself and my family if they start going up again I am going to MD Anderson cancer center in Houston TX. I have had a CT scan, PET scan and several full body scans which have been ok, but the fear is always there. My prayers are with you and your doctors. I hope they will become more open with you and communicate better. Take care.
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Breast Cancer Survivors And Thyroid Cancer Risk
It’s unclear how the conditions might be connected experts recommend caution
HealthDay Reporter
FRIDAY, March 6, 2015 — Women who survive breast cancer may have a higher-than-average risk of developing thyroid cancer in the next several years, a new study suggests.
Looking at government data on over 700,000 U.S. women treated for breast cancer, researchers found that the women had a higher-than-normal risk of developing thyroid cancer — particularly within five years of the breast cancer diagnosis.
The study results suggest that breast cancer survivors should have “vigilant screening” for thyroid cancer in the first five years after their diagnosis, said the study’s lead author, Dr. Jennifer Hong Kuo, a surgeon at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City.
The study was designed to find an association between breast cancer and the development of thyroid cancer. But, it cannot show whether or not having breast cancer or its treatments caused the increased risk of thyroid cancer.
Kuo said it’s too early to give “hard recommendations” on what any thyroid screening for breast cancer survivors should entail.
“At the very least, primary care providers could do a quick thyroid check,” Kuo said. That involves feeling the thyroid gland to look for enlargement or growths — though thyroid growths are common and usually benign.
Kuo said it might also be a good idea to do an ultrasound scan of the thyroid at least once.
Some cancer specialists urged caution, however.
What Is Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer is a type of cancer that starts in the thyroid gland. It happens when cells in the thyroid grow out of control and crowd out normal cells.
Thyroid cancer cells can spread to other parts of the body such as the lungs and the bone and grow there. When cancer cells do this, its called metastasis. But the type of cancer is based on the type of cells it started from.
So even if thyroid cancer spreads to the lung , its still called thyroid cancer, not called lung cancer.
The thyroid
Ask your doctor to use this picture to show you where your cancer is.
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Putting The Study Results Into Perspective
While this study might lead some to conclude that having excess thyroid hormone promotes the development of breast cancer, experts caution that this study does not prove cause and effect. While there may be an association, it is not clear that an overactive thyroid actually causes breast cancer to develop.
Some critics wonder whether women at risk for hyperthyroidism may also be at risk for breast cancer, or whether the treatment for hyperthyroidism may be to blame for increased cancer risk. Another theory is that women with an overactive thyroid see their doctors more often and therefore are more likely to get screened for other problems like breast cancer.
The effect of thyroid hormone on breast cancer risk clearly requires further study. In the meantime, women with an overactive thyroid should stay in close communication with their doctors and follow routine breast cancer screening recommendations.
Is There A Link Between Thyroid Disease And Breast Cancer
The Thyroid, a butterfly-shaped gland, takes part in a wide range of functions in the body. Healthy thyroid equals healthy you. Problems affecting this gland take their toll on other systems and functions in your body and are also associated with other diseases and health conditions.
For example, people with hypothyroidism may have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular problems, among other common health concerns. But what about breast cancer?
Is the function of our thyroid linked to breast cancer in any way? Youll find answers in this article.
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What Kind Of Treatment Will I Need
There are many ways to treat thyroid cancer but surgery is the main treatment. The treatment plan thats best for you will depend on:
- The stage of the cancer
- The chance that a type of treatment will cure the cancer or help in some way
- Your age
- Other health problems you have
- Your feelings about the treatment and the side effects that come with it
Depending on the type and stage of your thyroid cancer, you may need more than 1 type of treatment.
From What I Have Learned
from what i have learned about cancer if it mestastisizes and spreads to another organ it is still the same type of cancer.. IE thyroid cancer of the lungs so radioactive Iodine should be the treatment unless you have a resitance to radio-iodine cancer type.
talk to your endo and find out what they plan on telling your cancer doctor⦠talk to your cancer doctor and find out what they need from your endo and what other info they can give you.
also i recomend looking up http://www.thyca.org/ they will have a nice list of questions there to talk to your doctor about as well as a wonderfull support group.
and yes chemo will make you sick.. it is how sick vs how much they can kill of the cancer that is what matters to the doctors.
also if they are insistant that the nodules are not causing the problems have them get you to a specialist in lungs to figure out what the problem is.
heck i was told a few times by some of the doctors i saw them that just cause i had problem with thyroid they wanted to make sure it was not somehting else just cause people assume all other problems are caused from the first one.
keep talking to the doctors and good luck
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What Are The Types Of Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer is classified based on the type of cells from which the cancer grows. Thyroid cancer types include:
- Papillary: Up to 80% of all thyroid cancers are papillary. This cancer type grows slowly. Although papillary thyroid cancer often spreads to lymph nodes in the neck, the disease responds very well to treatment. Papillary thyroid cancer is highly curable and rarely fatal.
- Follicular: Follicular thyroid cancer accounts for up to 15% of thyroid cancer diagnoses. This cancer is more likely to spread to bones and organs, like the lungs. Metastatic cancer can be more challenging to treat.
- Medullary: About 2% of thyroid cancers are medullary. A quarter of people with medullary thyroid cancer have a family history of the disease. A faulty gene may be to blame.
- Anaplastic: This aggressive thyroid cancer is the hardest type to treat. It can grow quickly and often spreads into surrounding tissue and other parts of the body. This rare cancer type accounts for about 2% of thyroid cancer diagnoses.
Calculating Risk Based On Tumor Size
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center provides a Breast Cancer Nomogram through which you can predict the likelihood that a breast cancer has spread to axillary lymph nodes based on tumor size .
To complete this estimate, you are asked to agree to the conditions, and understand that it is only an estimate.
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Association Between Breast Cancer And Thyroid Cancer: A Study Based On 13 978 Patients With Breast Cancer
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Department of Radiation Oncology, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Department of Clinical Statistics, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Department of Head and Neck Surgery, Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center, Shanghai, China
Department of Oncology, Shanghai Medical College, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
Correspondence
Correspondence
Surgery For Thyroid Cancer
Most patients with thyroid cancer have some type of surgery. Surgery is done to take out the tumor and all or part of the thyroid gland. Sometimes lymph nodes are taken out from the neck, too.
Side effects of surgery
Any type of surgery can have risks and side effects. Be sure to ask the doctor what you can expect. Possible side effects of thyroid surgery include:
- Infection
- Bleeding or a blood clot in the neck
- Damage to the parathyroid glands
- Short or long term problems with your voice
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Other Signs And Symptoms
Other, more rare or unusual signs of medullary thyroid cancer that you should be aware of include:
- Severe diarrhea. This is a very rare symptom sometimes found in people with advanced medullary thyroid cancer. The tumor produces high levels of calcitonin, a hormone that may cause severe diarrhea.
- Cushing syndrome. In rare cases, adrenal tumors can cause Cushing syndrome, a condition that arises when a tumor secretes hormones that the thyroid wouldnt normal create. Cushing syndrome associated with medullary thyroid cancer is uncommon. The syndrome is more commonly caused by the pituitary gland overproducing adrenocorticotropic hormone , or by taking oral corticosteroid medication.
- Facial flushing. A red face, neck, or chest paired with warm or burning sensations can be a sign of many conditions. Tumors or other abnormal growths can overproduce hormones, triggering flushing. The symptom can also be a response to certain drugs, foods, alcohol, or menopause.
- Bone pain. People with medullary thyroid cancer may have bone pain if the cancer has spread to form bone lesions.
- Lethargy. Many people with advanced cancer may feel physically, emotionally, or mentally tired. The causes of fatigue during cancer are complex and not well understood.
- Weight loss. Unusual weight loss is a symptom of advanced medullary thyroid cancer that has spread beyond the thyroid into other organs.
Second Cancers After Thyroid Cancer
Survivors of thyroid cancer can be affected by a number of health problems, but often their greatest concern is facing another cancer. Cancer that comes back after treatment it is called a recurrence. But some cancer survivors may develop a new, unrelated cancer later. This is called a second cancer.
Unfortunately, being treated for cancer doesnt mean you cant get another. People who have had thyroid cancer can still get the same types of cancers that other people get. In fact, they might be as risk for certain types of cancer.
People who have or had thyroid cancer can get any type of second cancer, but they have an increased risk of developing:
Adrenal cancer risk is especially high in people who had the medullary type of thyroid cancer.
Patients treated with radioactive iodine also have an increased risk of acute lymphocytic leukemia , stomach cancer, and salivary gland cancer.
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Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma Presenting As Metastatic Disease To The Breast
Ernesto Martinez Duarte
1Department of Pathology and Microbiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA
Abstract
Medullary thyroid carcinoma is a neuroendocrine tumor that is derived from C cells of the thyroid gland. It is a rare aggressive tumor, known to metastasize to lymph nodes, liver, bones, and lungs. A 41-year-old female, who presented with a breast mass, was initially diagnosed with invasive ductal carcinoma. She was also found to have a thyroid mass which was later diagnosed as MTC. On a rereview of the breast pathology, the morphologic features were strikingly similar to the MTC. Further investigation revealed that this was in fact a very rare case of MTC that had metastasized to the breast. We have identified 20 cases of MTC metastasizing to the breast in the literature that supports its occurrence as a real possibility. Albeit rare, medullary thyroid carcinoma should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a breast mass.
1. Introduction
Histologically, MTCs are made up of nests of neoplastic C cells that can be oval, round, or spindle shaped. These nests are separated by varying amounts of fibrovascular stroma. The tumor cells stain positively for calcitonin and CEA.
2. Case Presentation
3. Discussion
4. Conclusion
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this article.
References
Copyright
More related articles
Where Can Breast Cancer Go
Breast cancer mostly spreads to the bones, lungs, liver, and brain. When it does, you may start to notice symptoms that affect that area of your body.
Bones: swelling, intense pain, bones that break easily, and pain in your bones, back, neck, or joints
Lungs: long-lasting cough, trouble breathing, chest pain
Liver: Jaundice, or skin with a yellow tint, rashes and itchy skin, not feeling hungry, stomach pain
Brain: headaches that wonât go away, problems with your vision, seizures, vomiting and nausea, memory troubles, feeling dizzy
Other, less common, places where breast cancer spreads include:
- Ovaries
- Adrenal glands
- Pancreas
- Skin
Let your doctor know as soon as you can if you have any of these symptoms. They donât always mean your cancer has moved to another organ, but your doctor might want you to take some tests to make sure.
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Models Of Metastatic Progression
A model of metastatic progression in cancer. Primary tumor growth and invasion occur through the gain of genetic or epigenetic changes in the primary tumor often in cells that have a change in character through the process of epithelial to mesenchymal transition . Individual cells, or groups of cells, that have gone through this transition, as well as those that have not , gain access to blood vessels through incompletely defined mechanisms. Some of the cells are targeted to specific organs and enter their new microenvironment. Cells that have dedifferentiated are likely able to modify the premetastatic niche to allow for proliferation and invasion with short latency in the metastatic site. Cells shed into the circulation that are more differentiated likely enter a period of prolonged dormancy controlled by a number of factors that may be released over time through changes in the tumor cells or the metastatic microenvironment. In both cases, metastatic progression at the metastatic site likely requires interactions with immune cells, endothelial cells, and the stroma.
Symptoms Of Papillary Carcinoma Of The Thyroid
Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is generally asymptomatic, which means it doesnt have any symptoms. You might feel a lump on your thyroid but most nodules on the thyroid arent cancerous. But if you do feel a lump, you should still see your doctor. Theyll be able to give you an exam and order diagnostic tests if necessary.
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Can Thyroid Cancer Spread To Brain
Thyroid cancer develops in the thyroid, which is a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of the neck, just below the Adam’s apple.
Although the thyroid gland is small, it produces hormones that regulate every aspect of metabolism, from the heart rate to how quickly one burns calories. Sometimes one may develop one or more solid or fluid-filled lumps called nodules in the thyroid.
Most of these are benign causing no symptoms. But small percentages are malignant. Presence of nodules in those below the age of 20 is a matter of concern and indicates strong potential for malignancy. Thyroid cancer may lead to serious complications.
Thyroid cancer is classified into four kinds namely papillary, follicular, medullary and anaplastic. Most common occurrence is seen in the form of papillary and follicular tumors. They grow slowly and may recur, but are generally not fatal in patients under 45 years of age. Medullary tumors have a good prognosis if restricted to the thyroid gland but the chances of survival decrease with the spreading of cancerous cells beyond the organ. Anaplastic tumors are fast-growing and do not respond well to therapy.
Cancer can be dangerous in any form but after metastasis to any organ, the chances of survival start reducing.
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Breast Cancer Prognosis Is Better In Patients Who Develop Subsequent Metachronous Thyroid Cancer
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Affiliations Department of General Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, Department of General Surgery, the 7th Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen, University, ShenZhen, Guangdong, China
- Xujun He,
Roles Data curation, Writing original draft
Affiliations Key Laboratory of Gastroenterology of Zhejiang Province, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China, Department of Pathology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, United States of America
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Roles Data curation, Formal analysis
Affiliation Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Institute, Jianghan University, Wuhan, Hubei, China
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Roles Funding acquisition, Methodology, Writing review & editing
Affiliation Department of General Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Roles Methodology, Writing review & editing
Affiliation Department of General Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Roles Data curation, Formal analysis
Affiliation Department of General Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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Roles Formal analysis, Writing review & editing
Affiliation Department of General Surgery, Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, Hangzhou Medical College, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China
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