What are the early symptoms of recurrence after hemisection of thyroid cancer

Hemisection of thyroid cancer means that after hemisection of thyroid cancer, patients with early recurrence may have nodules in the thyroid area, enlarged lymph nodes in the neck, and symptoms of metastatic sites, such as neck edema, shortness of breath, and difficulty swallowing.

1. Nodules: Recurrence of thyroid cancer after hemisection surgery may lead to obvious nodules in the thyroid gland in the early stage of recurrence. The nodules are usually adhered to the surrounding tissues, difficult to be pushed, hard in texture, and usually painless.

2. Swollen lymph nodes in the neck: When lymph node metastasis occurs, obvious lymph node swelling may appear around the neck, which may spread from the neck to the clavicle, or may appear in the armpit;

3. Symptoms of metastatic sites: If thyroid cancer recurs after hemisection surgery, if it occurs in the lungs, patients may experience shortness of breath, chest tightness, cough, sputum, chest pain and other symptoms in the early stage of metastasis. If it occurs in the bones or brain, patients may experience bone pain, increased intracranial pressure, headache, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms in the early stage of metastasis. If it occurs in the gastrointestinal tract, patients may experience dysphagia, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, diarrhea and other symptoms. If it occurs in the bladder, due to tumor stimulation, symptoms such as hematuria and dysuria may occur;

4. Other symptoms: Patients with recurrence of thyroid cancer after hemisection may also experience symptoms of high metabolism caused by fluctuations in thyroid hormones, such as intolerance to heat, sweating, weight loss, fatigue, etc. Some patients may also experience increased bowel movements or alternating diarrhea and constipation due to fluctuations in thyroid hormones.

In addition to the above symptoms, patients with recurrence of thyroid cancer after hemisection may also experience facial changes due to lack of thyroid hormone intake in the neck, manifested as widening of the palpebral fissure, thick nose, protruding eyes, etc. The common cause of thyroid cancer recurrence is insufficient lymph node dissection or failure to perform standardized lymph node dissection. Therefore, after thyroid cancer surgery, thyroid function tests should be performed regularly to detect thyroid cancer recurrence early.