Surge in Thyroid Cancer Diagnoses in Young people Linked to Increased Medical Imaging,Experts Warn
london – A growing number of thyroid cancer diagnoses in young people,particularly women,is prompting concern among medical professionals,with increasing evidence pointing to a link with the widespread use of medical imaging techniques like ultrasound,CT scans,and PET scans. While highly treatable, the rising incidence is fueling debate about the potential for overdiagnosis and overtreatment.
Thyroid cancer is “growing and highly treatable,” according to Dr. ahmed, who states, “If you catch it in a reasonable time, more than 90 per cent of patients can be cured.” Warning signs include a lump in the throat or neck, a hoarse voice lasting more than three weeks, breathing problems, or difficulty swallowing.
Though, the experience of individuals like Jess Cain, a special needs teacher diagnosed at age 31, highlights the frequently enough subtle nature of the disease. Cain discovered a lump in her neck during a massage, describing it as “like a marble under the skin, beneath my ear, that became more prominent when I turned my head.” Initially dismissed by her GP as a swollen lymph node,the lump persisted,leading to a scan months later that revealed a suspicious mass. She received a cancer diagnosis just five days before Christmas and underwent surgery in January to confirm thyroid cancer.
The increase in diagnoses isn’t necessarily due to a true rise in the disease’s prevalence, experts suggest. Rather, improved and more frequent medical imaging is detecting increasingly small, frequently enough harmless tumors that might have previously gone unnoticed. Women are disproportionately affected, perhaps due to a higher utilization of medical imaging for other health concerns.
Treatment typically involves surgery to remove all or part of the thyroid, sometimes followed by radioactive iodine therapy.For very small tumors – less than a centimetre across – doctors may opt for monitoring rather of immediate intervention.
Despite the generally positive prognosis, patients like Jess Cain caution against minimizing the impact of a cancer diagnosis. “People refer to it as ’the good cancer’ as it’s easily treated,but it’s already been two years with it for me and I’ve already had a resurgence within three months of getting the all-clear,” Cain shared. “There’s no such thing as a good cancer.”
Dr. Ahmed reassures most patients, stating, “With a few exceptions, thyroid cancers have an excellent prognosis,” but the growing number of cases underscores the need for careful consideration of the risks and benefits of widespread medical imaging and a nuanced approach to diagnosis and treatment.
