Does thyroid cancer affect life expectancy?

Does thyroid cancer affect life expectancy?

If thyroid cancer is treated promptly and effectively, the life expectancy after recovery is usually not affected. If the disease is severe and metastatic, it will affect the life expectancy, so it should be judged based on the actual situation of the patient.

No impact: Thyroid cancer is a malignant tumor that originates from the follicular epithelium or parafollicular epithelial cells of the thyroid gland. The main causes are environmental factors, genetic factors, and ionizing radiation. When a patient has thyroid cancer, it can cause neck lumps, breathing difficulties, limited swallowing function, hoarseness, and other symptoms. If the patient develops the disease early and the condition is relatively mild, after radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or surgery, the condition usually does not affect the life expectancy.

Impact: If thyroid cancer develops late and has reached the advanced stage, the tumor will continue to grow, compressing local tissues and organs, and even metastasize, causing symptoms such as shoulder and back pain, coughing up phlegm and blood, and difficulty breathing, which will affect the patient's life span.

Patients are advised to go to the hospital for CT, ultrasound or tumor marker examination in time if they feel unwell. If it is confirmed to be thyroid cancer, it can be treated with drugs, such as paclitaxel injection, cisplatin injection, sorafenib tablets, etc. Surgical treatment can also be performed, such as total thyroidectomy, lymph node cleaning, thyroid follicular lobectomy, etc.