Overcoming Thyroid Disorders Thyroid Nodules

Thyroid nodules are the third most common form of thyroid problem encountered by sufferers overcoming thyroid disorders. In most cases, as many as 90%, the nodules are neither cancerous or harmful. You may be unaware of the presence of the nodule before it starts to form properly, and become enlarged, and they are usually discovered during an eximination by the doctor.

Once diagnosed, the nodules need to be regularly inspected by a medical professional who will perform the necessary tests to see if the nodule is harmless or if indeed it is harmful and require treatment. Normally, if the patient experiences difficulty swallowing or breathing, is hoarse, if the nodule grows rapidly, if it is painfull and is hard or if under the jaw the lymph nodes are enlarged then there is a distinc possibility the nodule could be cancerous. This is the case for around 8% of male and 4% of female thyroid nodule sufferers. Further tests will then be needed, to determine if the sufferer needs to have thyroid cancer treatment, and could take the form of some or all of the following:

Ultra-sound scans (sonograms) are used to effectivly "map" the thyroid gland to show clearly any nodules contained within.

A biopsy can be done (fine needle aspiration) to collect cells or fluid samples, or both, from the offending nodule. These samples are then sent for examination.

A thyroid scan can be given, where a radio active substance is injected into the body and the affected area is then scanned, using a radiation detector, to determine if the thyroid gland is producing hormones.

Blood tests can determine an awful lot. They can measure the level of thyroid stimulating hormones, antibodies and calcitonin all of which will point the medical professionals in the right direction. As a side note, the hormone calcitonin is a part of the phosphorus and calcium metabolism, the main source of this hormone coming from certain cells found only in the thyroid gland. Higher than normal levels of calcitonin could point to medullary thyroid cancer that originates from those cells.

So what are the treatment options for overcoming thyroid disorders that are cancerous? Well I would just like to say again, only five percent of the offending nodules turn out to be cancerous and statistically most patients recover fully from the condition. The cancerous cells in the thyroid will have to be removed by a surgical procedure, then a course of radioactive iodine therapy will be required to eradicate any remaining cancerous thyroid gland cells. Patient will then need many years, if not a life time, of monitoring based on the kind of tumor that was removed.

Those nodules which have been discovered that are not cancerous may still need some treatment. Specialists would rather see a total removal of the thyroid gland against just a partial removal. After the removal of the nodules and thyroid gland by surgery (thyroidectomy) the patient will need to go on to a synthetic thyroid replacement. Typical tests will include serum thyroglobulin and thyroid function levels, MRI scans, sonograms, CT scans and radioactive scans. The need for the tests is, amongst others, the need to identify "hot" nodules. These hot nodules attract more than their share of radioactive iodine and, even though not cancerous, they can produce excess thyroid hormones. These overfunctioning nodules will need to be removed or undergo a radioactive iodine treatment as they can cause hyperthroidism.

A thyroid cyst is a nodule with fluid in it and will need to be drained or even just monitored for any alterations by your medical practitioner. These nodules are generally non-cancerous If they are drained they will be monitored to see if they return, then will probably be surgically removed if they do return. On the other hand any nodule that has both fluid and a solid matter are more likely to be cancerous in which case they will need to be treated with the thyroid cancer treatment described above.

As you can see, ">overcoming thyroid disorders, even those that need thyroid cancer treatment, is not impossible and on the whole is probable. Diagnosis and treatment has been refined to the point that the vast majority of sufferers now return to full health after undergoing the correct thyroid treatment.

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