
<h2>What is Thyroid Cancer?</h2>
<p>Thyroid cancer is a cancer that starts in the thyroid gland. If not treated it is able to spread to any other part of the body. The cause of thyroid cancer is unknown. There is one known risk factor for thyroid cancer which is exposure to radiation-(sun) during childhood. Symptoms of thyroid cancer include:

<ul>
<li>Problems with swallowing</li>
<li>Hoarseness-(a throaty harshness)</li>
<li>Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck </li>
<li>Breathing difficulty </li>
<li>Pain in the throat and/or neck </li>
</ul>
</p>


<p>Things to look for if you think you have thyroid cancer include:
<ul>
<li>A lump or swelling in the front of the neck or in other parts of the neck</li>
<li>Pain in the neck</li>
<li>Trouble swallowing or breathing</li>
<li>Persistent cough</li>
</ul>
</p>

<h2>What does the thyroid do?</h2>
<p>Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped organ that lies across the cartilage of your neck above the collar bone. The thyroids role is to stimulate metabolism. </p>


<h2>Who is more likely to get thyroid cancer? </h2>
<ol>
<li>Older people - Thyroid cancer is more common in people over 30 years of age than in younger adults or children.</li>
<li>Women are two to three times more likely than men to develop thyroid cancer.</li>
<li>Caucasians in the U.S. are at greater risk than African Americans for development of thyroid cancer.</li>
<li>Exposure to radiation, including radiation therapy or nuclear fallout, poses an increased risk for developing thyroid cancer.</li>
<li>People with a family history of thyroid cancer or who have rare syndromes involving tumors of multiple glands are at a greater risk for thyroid cancers.</li>

</ol>


	<h2>What kind of thyroid cancer is there?</h2>
<p>There are several types of thyroid cancer but the main one are: papillary, follicular, medullary, anaplastic, and variants.</p>

<p><b><i>Papillary and follicular thyroid carcinomas</i></b> are referred to as well differentiated thyroid cancer and account for 80–90% of all thyroid cancers. Variants include tall cell, insular, columnar, and Hurthle cell. Their treatment and management are similar. If detected early, most papillary and follicular thyroid cancer can be treated successfully.</p>
<p><b><i>Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC)</i></b> accounts for 5-10% of all thyroid cancers. </p>

<p><b><i>Medullary cancer is easier to treat and control if found before it spreads to other parts of the body. There are two types of medullary thyroid cancer: sporadic and familial. Genetic testing (of the RET proto-oncogene should be performed in all patients with MTC to determine whether there are genetic changes that predict the development of MTC. In individuals with these genetic changes, removal of the thyroid during childhood has a high probability of being curative.</p>

<p><b><i>Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma </i></b>is the least common and accounts for only 1–2% of all thyroid cancer. This type is difficult to control and treat because it is a very aggressive type of thyroid cancer.</p>

	<h2>What are the treatments for Thyroid Cancer?</h2>
<p>Treatments for thyroid cancer include surgery, radioactive iodine treatment, external beam radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. In most cases, patients undergo surgery to remove most of the thyroid gland, and are treated with thyroid hormone replacement therapy. For those with papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, the dose of thyroid hormone replacement is usually high enough to suppress thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) well below the range 
that is normal for someone not diagnosed with thyroid cancer, to help  prevent the growth of cancer cells while providing essential thyroid hormone to the body.</p>