Does thyroid cancer cause diarrhea

Thyroid cancer is a malignant tumor originating from the thyroid follicular epithelium or parafollicular cells. It is also the most common malignant tumor in the head and neck, which may be related to factors such as iodine intake, genetics, and exposure to radioactive substances. Most thyroid cancer patients will not have obvious clinical symptoms when diagnosed, but some patients may experience symptoms such as increased bowel movements, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and fatigue.

1. Increased bowel movement: Due to endocrine disorders, thyroid cancer patients secrete too much thyroid hormone in their bodies, and their bodies are in a high metabolic state, which may lead to increased bowel movement or even diarrhea.

2. Diarrhea: When thyroid cancer patients have intestinal metastasis, such as liver metastasis, lung metastasis, bone metastasis, etc., due to tumor cells invading the intestines, intestinal motility increases, which may cause severe diarrhea;

3. Loss of appetite: Patients with thyroid cancer may experience difficulty swallowing due to compression of the esophagus by the neck mass. Due to loss of appetite, the amount of food consumed is relatively reduced, resulting in diarrhea.

4. Fatigue: Thyroid cancer is a wasting disease, which will cause fatigue due to the consumption of the disease.

In addition to the above situations, some thyroid cancer patients may suffer from gastrointestinal dysfunction due to long-term bed rest and reduced activity, resulting in abdominal distension, diarrhea, etc.

When patients have symptoms such as increased bowel movements, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and fatigue, they should seek medical attention in a timely manner. The diagnosis can be confirmed through thyroid ultrasound, fine needle aspiration cytology, etc. For patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer, surgical treatment should be taken in a timely manner, and iodine-131 treatment, endocrine therapy, radionuclide therapy, etc. should be taken after surgery according to the situation.