Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month: Top 10 Things to Know About Thyroid Cancer from World's Leading Thyroid Surgeons

September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month, so here is what you need to know about the fastest growing cancer diagnosis in the United States.

TAMPA, Fla., Sept. 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- 

1) How common is thyroid cancer?

The incidence of thyroid cancer has more than doubled since the 1970s, and it is now the fastest growing cancer diagnosis in the United States. Thyroid cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women, and it affects women three times more commonly than men.

"Part of the increasing rate of thyroid cancer is that we've gotten so good at detecting it through imaging like ultrasounds and CT scans," says Dr. Rashmi Roy, Senior Thyroid Surgeon at the Clayman Thyroid Center at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery in Tampa, Florida. "And that's important, because as is true with all cancers, early detection is key."

2) How likely am I to get thyroid cancer?

There are two main risk factors for thyroid cancer: a family history of thyroid cancer, and significant exposure to radiation. If an immediate family member has papillary thyroid cancer (the most common type of thyroid cancer), their first-degree relatives have up to ten times increased risk of developing a thyroid cancer. Despite this, it's important to note that the vast majority of thyroid cancer patients do not have either of these risk factors.

While thyroid cancer is more common in women, it affects men as well. It most commonly affects those aged 30-50, however it can affect people of all ages – including children.

"As the mother of a 14-year-old with thyroid cancer," says Dana, whose daughter was a recent patient at the Clayman Thyroid Center, "I can tell you it was a bizarre and maddening experience. It wasn't even something that was on my radar. I didn't know there was a risk of cancer in an otherwise healthy teenager. I didn't know what to do, until I did my research and chose the best thyroid surgeon I could find. Then everything changed for us."

3) How will I know if I have thyroid cancer?

The majority of thyroid cancer patients do not have symptoms, just a lump in their neck. Between the lack of symptoms and the prevalence of thyroid cancer, it is extremely important to screen and perform self-checks. Just like breast self-exams, self-checks of your neck may be the crucial step in diagnosing your own thyroid cancer.

Performing a self-check is simple. Feel the whole front of your neck and both sides, looking for any lumps or abnormalities including enlarged lymph nodes. Surgeons at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery have created a video to help guide you through the process of checking your own neck for thyroid cancer.

If any lumps are identified, an expert evaluation is the next step.

4) What are the symptoms of thyroid cancer?

Most people with thyroid cancer have no symptoms at all—they are found to have a lump in the front of their neck which is then examined by scans to find out what it is. Here are the top 5 thyroid cancer symptoms:

1. Lump or mass in the neck
2. Sense of feeling like you need to swallow something
3. A cough that won't go away
4. Change in voice
5. Bad fatigue

Read more about the symptoms of thyroid cancer.

5) What does a thyroid cancer evaluation entail?

An expert evaluation for thyroid cancer starts with a high-resolution ultrasound that looks at the thyroid gland and all the lymph nodes in the center and sides of the entire neck with a detection capability as small as 1 millimeter. If anything look suspicious, an ultrasound guided needle biopsy is immediately performed. Endocrine pathologists will interpret the findings and determine if cancer is present. This process can take a week or more at most centers but is provide at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery in about 20 minutes.

6) Can thyroid cancer be detected and diagnosed in just one visit?

At most hospitals around the world, the various steps to diagnose thyroid cancer and establish a treatment plan takes between 1 and 3 months. The surgeons at the Clayman Thyroid Center have developed a one-day thyroid cancer detection process composed of 1) ultrasound, 2) biopsy, 3) endocrine pathology, and 4) surgical consultation with an expert thyroid surgeon.

7) Is surgery the only treatment for thyroid cancer?

Thyroid surgery is the primary treatment for thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer surgery can often be minimally invasive with an approximately one-inch incision in the lower front neck that will heal beautifully in most patients. Some small thyroid cancers can be operated on with no neck scar whatsoever by robotic thyroid surgery. Dr Hyun Suh at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery performs more robotic thyroid surgery than any other surgeon or hospital in the US.

Thyroid cancer surgery, when done in the right hands, results in a cure, no complications and a very acceptable, or even zero scar for the vast majority of patients.

8) Are there different operations for thyroid cancer?

There are three different operations for thyroid cancer. Which operation is performed is determined by the size of the tumor and the involvement of any lymph nodes in the neck. Learn about the three best operations for thyroid cancer.

9) Why is expert care for thyroid cancer important?

Cure rates for thyroid cancer are directly related to the experience of the surgeon. Specialized thyroid surgeons at high-volume centers have cure rates for most thyroid cancers approaching 100% and complication rates are near zero. But in the hands of an occasional thyroid surgeon, patients have a much higher risk of recurrence – or worse. Thyroid cancer surgery must not only address the thyroid gland, but also all lymph node areas that either have cancer already or are at risk of harboring cancer.

10) How do I choose a surgeon and hospital to address my thyroid cancer?

High volume thyroid surgeons at specialty hospitals provide the best outcomes for thyroid cancer. "It really doesn't depend on what type of surgeon you choose to do your surgery, it depends on what their experience is," says Dr. Gary Clayman, Founder and Medical Director of the Clayman Thyroid Center.

"Only highly experienced thyroid surgeon should be doing thyroid surgery," says Dr. Clayman. "And what is meant by highly experienced? You need to do literally thousands of these operations before you have the skill set to do it safely, effectively, and in a highly curative fashion. The average thyroid surgery is performed a thyroid surgeon that does less than 10 operations per year. You want a surgeon that does 10 thyroid operations per week. We do 10 per day." There is more about choosing a thyroid cancer surgeon here.

The Clayman Thyroid Center moved into its new home at the Hospital for Endocrine Surgery in Tampa, Florida in January 2022, uniting with the Norman Parathyroid Center and Carling Adrenal Center to become the highest volume endocrine surgery practice in the world.

The Hospital for Endocrine Surgery is the first of its kind – a facility dedicated solely to thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal surgery with world-renowned surgeons and care teams. Patients travel from all over the world to have their tumors and cancers cured in Tampa, with more than 50% of patients traveling from outside the state of Florida and nearly 10% traveling from foreign countries.

"Every week, we see patients who have had surgery elsewhere and their thyroid cancer has come back," says Dr. Clayman. "Or more likely, they didn't get it all during the first surgery. This is heartbreaking because it's something that can be avoided. Do your homework. Find a highly experienced surgeon who specializes in thyroid surgery, someone who can cure you of your cancer the first time so you can get back to living your life."

Founded by one of the nation's best-known thyroid surgeons, the Clayman Thyroid Center is the highest volume thyroid cancer referral center in the United States. The Center boasts the most experienced thyroid surgeons in the US who provide personalized care allowing the greatest opportunity for cancer cure, wellness, and cosmetic and functional outcomes via all types of thyroid surgery from minimal incision to scarless thyroid surgery to advanced cancer care.

www.thyroidcancer.com | (813) 940-3130

The Scarless Thyroid Surgery Center is a worldwide destination for the most advanced robotic surgical techniques that allow removal of nearly all thyroid masses and smaller cancers without a scar. With chief surgeon, Dr. Hyun Suh, previously Chief of Endocrine Surgery at Mt Sinai, NYC, the center performs more robotic thyroid surgery operations than any other hospital in the United States.

www.scarless-thyroid.com  |  (813) 940-3130

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Julie Canan, Director of Marketing
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SOURCE Clayman Thyroid Center