Biology 1A
The Biology of Disease
Thyroid Cancer
Cancer is a disease that plagues many people word-wide and can prove to be extremely deadly with a high mortality rate, or not as much so with a high survival rate. This is because some cancers prove to be more difficult to manage and remove while others do not require to be removed and may just cause minor complications. Thyroid cancer happens to have characteristics from both these types of cancers; it can be subtle and cured easily if caught soon enough, or it can become invasive and fatal. In order to determine what type of thyroid cancer is present, a complete understanding of what thyroid cancer is must be known. This will include a breakdown of what thyroid cancer is, how many types …show more content…
The thyroid gland is located in the front of the neck, below your voice box, the larynx, and contains right and left lobes that reflects a butterfly’s shape. A healthy thyroid is about the size of a quarter and the two lobes of the thyroid are connected by the isthmus, a thin piece of tissue (National Cancer Institute, 2012). The purpose of the thyroid gland is to use iodine, a mineral commonly found in iodized salt and specific foods, to produce hormones. The hormones produced by the thyroid gland controls heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, weight, and metabolism (National Cancer Institute, 2015). Thyroid cancer is a cancer of the thyroid gland and is a heterogeneous disease.
Cells are the building blocks that make up all tissues and organs in the body. Cancer begins in cells and would normally be produced and divided when the body needs them to; however, sometimes the cells over produce and create nodules or tumors. These tumors are the basis for cancer. There are two specific types of tumors, benign and malignant. Benign tumors are noninvasive and does not require surgery while malignant tumors are invasive and require surgery. Malignant tumors are formed from the cancerous cells found in the thyroid (National Cancer Institute, …show more content…
Many of these include: physical exams, blood tests, ultrasounds, thyroid scans, and biopsies. There are multiple ways blood tests may be used in determining presence of thyroid cancers. One way they may be used is by looking for unusual amounts of thyroid-stimulating hormones. When the body produces large amounts of thyroid-stimulating hormones, the rate at which the follicular thyroid cells grow increases. This may result in thyroid nodules and tumors to form and will be a sign of thyroid cancer (National Cancer Institute, 2012; National Cancer Institute,
The Biology of Disease
Thyroid Cancer
Cancer is a disease that plagues many people word-wide and can prove to be extremely deadly with a high mortality rate, or not as much so with a high survival rate. This is because some cancers prove to be more difficult to manage and remove while others do not require to be removed and may just cause minor complications. Thyroid cancer happens to have characteristics from both these types of cancers; it can be subtle and cured easily if caught soon enough, or it can become invasive and fatal. In order to determine what type of thyroid cancer is present, a complete understanding of what thyroid cancer is must be known. This will include a breakdown of what thyroid cancer is, how many types …show more content…
The thyroid gland is located in the front of the neck, below your voice box, the larynx, and contains right and left lobes that reflects a butterfly’s shape. A healthy thyroid is about the size of a quarter and the two lobes of the thyroid are connected by the isthmus, a thin piece of tissue (National Cancer Institute, 2012). The purpose of the thyroid gland is to use iodine, a mineral commonly found in iodized salt and specific foods, to produce hormones. The hormones produced by the thyroid gland controls heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure, weight, and metabolism (National Cancer Institute, 2015). Thyroid cancer is a cancer of the thyroid gland and is a heterogeneous disease.
Cells are the building blocks that make up all tissues and organs in the body. Cancer begins in cells and would normally be produced and divided when the body needs them to; however, sometimes the cells over produce and create nodules or tumors. These tumors are the basis for cancer. There are two specific types of tumors, benign and malignant. Benign tumors are noninvasive and does not require surgery while malignant tumors are invasive and require surgery. Malignant tumors are formed from the cancerous cells found in the thyroid (National Cancer Institute, …show more content…
Many of these include: physical exams, blood tests, ultrasounds, thyroid scans, and biopsies. There are multiple ways blood tests may be used in determining presence of thyroid cancers. One way they may be used is by looking for unusual amounts of thyroid-stimulating hormones. When the body produces large amounts of thyroid-stimulating hormones, the rate at which the follicular thyroid cells grow increases. This may result in thyroid nodules and tumors to form and will be a sign of thyroid cancer (National Cancer Institute, 2012; National Cancer Institute,