Nodal metastatic thyroid cancer occurs when thyroid cancer is advanced to the late stage. At this stage, the treatment becomes more difficult and takes more time than in the early stages, but with proper and timely treatment, the prognosis is quite good.
Thyroid cancer is a dangerous disease because in the early stages they have no clinical symptoms. As the disease progresses, symptoms gradually clear, then cancer cells have metastasized and invaded other locations in the body. The first place that thyroid cancer cells metastasize is the lymph node metastasis.
The basics of thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis
Thyroid cancer is a disease that occurs when there is an abnormality of thyroid cells, forming tumors by the appearance of cancerous cells. In the final stage, when the malignant tumor has spread to the lymph nodes in the neck, thyroid cancer has metastasized to the cervical lymph nodes. Thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis usually appears earliest before spreading to other sites in the body such as liver, lungs, bones... especially dangerous for patients.
According to statistics, about 30% of thyroid cancer patients will have lymph node metastasis and most of the metastases will go to the lymph nodes in the neck. Meanwhile, only about 4% of patients have metastases to other internal organs in the body.
Thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis is a dangerous disease
Clinical manifestations of metastatic thyroid cancer
Clinically, most patients with metastatic thyroid cancer usually experience the following symptoms:
- Pain in the neck area;
- Neck, jaw, ear pain;
- May have difficulty breathing;
- Difficulty swallowing food;
- When the laryngeal nerve is compressed, it leads to hoarseness.
What begins as a thyroid cancer cell, over time, they rapidly spread to nearby areas in the neck and form small lymph nodes. If detected late and not treated promptly and properly to prevent the spread of cancer cells, they can enter the bloodstream and move to other organs, making the disease worse. than.
Once infected, thyroid cancer can progress quickly, so patients need to adhere to and persevere in treatment according to the doctor's regimen.
Need to watch for signs of metastatic thyroid cancer
What are the treatments for metastatic thyroid cancer?
If metastatic thyroid cancer is detected early and has an appropriate treatment regimen, the chance of cure is high. Let's take a look at some typical treatment methods of thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis below!
Surgery to remove cancer cells
This is a radical method to completely remove the neck tumor. However, if the patient has too many lymph nodes, surgery will not be possible. At this time, the patient can be prescribed other more effective and appropriate methods.
Surgery is one of the main methods of treatment
Radioiodine method
The radioactive iodine method is quite safe and has relatively few side effects in patients treated for metastatic thyroid cancer. This is a method of using radioactive iodine emitted to destroy malignant cells thanks to their iodine-absorbing properties to:
- Destruction of remaining thyroid tissue after thyroid surgery.
- For patients with papillary thyroid cancer, the follicular body will have the effect of eliminating local invasive tissues and foci.
- Prevention of local and lymph node recurrence.
- Extend life time.
After surgery to remove thyroid cancer from 6 weeks to 6 months, most patients will be prescribed radioactive iodine treatment to destroy any remaining cancer cells in the body. During this time, the patient needs to be isolated to ensure the safety of everyone around.
Radiotherapy method
Radiation therapy is a method of using high-energy rays to target cancer cells to kill them or stop cancer cells from multiplying and growing. Radiation therapy can be used when patients with thyroid cancer do not respond to radioactive iodine therapy.
Chemotherapy method
Chemotherapy is the use of chemotherapy drugs to kill cancer cells or stop them from growing and spreading. Chemotherapy is rarely used in the treatment of thyroid cancer but may be considered when the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
Are there any complications after treatment for thyroid cancer with lymph node metastases?
Depending on the stage of detecting thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis, the doctor will choose the appropriate method and treatment technique for the patient. However, after treatment, patients may still experience some of the following complications:
- Bleeding at the site after surgery.
- Infection after surgery.
- Lymphatic leak.
- Respiratory failure due to croup or after extubation.
In addition, there are a number of other side effects after radiation treatment such as: Dizziness, dry mouth, nausea, pain in the neck area... Therefore, in addition to paying attention to the following diet and activities. After surgery, patients also need to be periodically examined and closely monitor the progress of the disease.
Survival prognosis of thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis
For patients with metastatic thyroid cancer, the survival time depends a lot on other factors such as age, time of disease detection, health status, response to treatment and ability to respond. response after treatment.
Thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis is a disease with a good prognosis if detected and treated early, with the possibility of prolonging the 5-year survival time up to 100%. For patients in the terminal stage, when cancer cells have metastasized to lymph nodes or metastasized to other organs in the body, the survival prognosis can be over 50%. Therefore, when suspecting the appearance of symptoms of thyroid cancer, patients should immediately go to medical facilities for timely examination and treatment.
Prognosis of thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis is quite good
Through the above article, hopefully SignsSymptomsList has been able to provide you with basic knowledge about thyroid cancer with lymph node metastasis . Don't forget to continue to accompany and follow the Pharmacy to protect and enrich your health-related knowledge and those around you!