Most thyroid cancers respond better to treatment with an excellent cure rate. The thyroid is a gland located in the front of the neck which produces hormones that help control body temperature, heart rate, and blood pressure. Thyroid cancer occurs when the cells in the thyroid gland undergo genetic changes (mutations). This mutation promotes the cells to multiply in an uncontrollable and abnormal manner. The abnormal cells can also spread to nearby tissues or other parts of the body. There are four main types of thyroid cancer. Follicular and papillary thyroid cancers are the most common thyroid cancers.
Like many cancers, it is not clear what causes thyroid cancer, but it tends to occur more in women, people exposed to high levels of radiation and having some inherited genetic syndromes like multiple endocrine neoplasia. Also, thyroid cancer is the 2nd most common cancer seen in pregnant women, and fluctuating hormone levels during pregnancy may be the cause of thyroid cancer in pregnant women.
A lump in the front of the neck is the major symptom of thyroid cancer. Don’t panic if you have neck lumps, as they are generally caused by less serious conditions. Only about one out of twenty neck lumps may occur due to cancer. However, if you have lumps in the neck, you should visit a doctor to find out the cause, especially if the lump feels firm, gets larger over time or doesn’t move around under the skin easily.
Typically, symptoms do not occur in the early stage of the disease. When cancer grows, people may experience difficulties in swallowing, pain in the throat and neck, loss of voice (hoarseness), and swollen lymph nodes in the neck. Your physician may order one or more of tests such as blood tests, radioiodine scan, imaging tests, and biopsy to diagnose thyroid cancer. The good thing is most thyroid cancers are highly treatable and curable. The main treatments for thyroid cancers include thyroidectomy (surgery to remove parts or all of the thyroid), radioactive iodine treatment, external radiation therapy, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies. Surgery is the 1st treatment for most types of cancers in the thyroid.
Patients with very small cancers that possess a low risk of spreading to the other parts may not need treatment immediately. In such cases, doctors may recommend periodical lab tests for frequent monitoring of cancer. In some people, cancer never grows and will not require treatment.
Lenvatinib is the targeted therapy for thyroid cancer. It may be given to treat advanced thyroid cancer when the radioactive iodine treatment does not stop the disorder. It works by inhibiting the activity of proteins known as receptor tyrosine kinases that are involved in cancer growth. Lenvatinib is also used in the treatment of other cancers such as hepatocellular carcinoma (liver cancer) and endometrial carcinoma (cancer of the uterus lining).
Lenvima 4mg Capsule is one of the products containing the active substance Lenvatinib. If you have progressive thyroid cancer, your physician may prescribe Lenvima 4mg Capsule.
