How to do next if having thyroid nodule?

How to do next if having thyroid nodule?  Occasionally, it is found that there are nodules in the thyroid, and it is necessary to arrange reasonable symptomatic measures under the guidance of professional doctors in regular hospitals!

The incidence of thyroid nodules is very high, how high is it? Randomly find 100 people on the road, 10 of them may have thyroid nodules, but among these 10 people, there may be only 1 in need of treatment. Thyroid nodules can be seen in people of all ages: the incidence rate calculated by physical examination is 5%-7%, and the incidence rate calculated by ultrasound examination is 20%-76%. Generally, women have more incidences than men.

Causes of thyroid nodules

Common causes of thyroid nodules include iodine deficiency, hyperplasia of normal thyroid tissue, degeneration, history of radiation exposure, genetics, and thyroid inflammation. There are also some potential pathogenic factors, such as the lack of trace element selenium, obesity and so on. A large part of thyroid nodules clinically cannot be analyzed for specific reasons.

Classification of thyroid nodules

1. Benign and malignant

This issue is the most concerned issue among patients and friends. Benign thyroid nodules are mostly nodular goiter and thyroid adenoma, most of which are relatively safe and can generally be observed. Adenoma surgery can be cured. Malignant thyroid nodules are mostly differentiated thyroid cancer (commonly known as “lazy cancer”), which require surgical treatment, most of which can be cured, and advanced disease changes require active comprehensive treatment to prevent distant metastasis of the cancer.

2. Solidity and cysticity

According to the texture state of the nodules, it can be divided into two types: solid and cystic. There is tissue hyperplasia inside the solid nodule, which is the main type of adenoma and cancer. The inside of the cystic nodules is liquid, and in some cases, intracystic hemorrhage may occur, causing local pain in the patient.

3. Cold and hot nodules

According to the different uptake ability of nodules to radionuclides, the results are divided into “hot nodules” and “cold nodules”. “Hot nodules” are autonomous thyroid nodules with endocrine function, almost mostly benign. “Cold nodules” have no endocrine function, so there is a possibility of cancer. In addition, if there is bleeding or cystic change in the nodule, it can also be expressed as a “cold nodule.”

Common clinical manifestations of thyroid nodules

1. The vast majority of benign thyroid nodules have no obvious clinical symptoms, which are usually found by physical examination and do not need to be treated; a small number of benign nodules have a long course of pain, hoarseness, and dyspnea after the nodules grow up.

2. Pain in the thyroid area accompanied by tender masses, subacute thyroiditis may be possible.

3. Sudden enlargement of thyroid nodules and local pain and discomfort. There may be bleeding in the thyroid mass.

4. Thyroid nodules increase rapidly in a short period of time, accompanied by hoarseness, dyspnea, dysphagia, or obvious swelling of cervical lymph nodes, which are more likely to be malignant nodules.

What should I do if I find a thyroid nodule?

First of all, it is recommended to go to a regular hospital to find out whether there are functional changes such as hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism; if the thyroid function is normal, the thyroid nodules are small and asymptomatic, and benign is considered, then rest assured, just review once a year. . If the thyroid function is abnormal, or thyroid inflammation is considered, it is necessary to go to the endocrinology department to adjust the thyroid function.

For benign thyroid nodules, the conditions that need to be treated are: large thyroid nodules that cause pain, dysphagia, and dyspnea in the patient, or the patient’s hyperthyroidism or hyperthyroidism is considered to be caused by the nodules. Nodules that can cause hyperthyroidism can be treated with radioactive iodine and antithyroid drugs. If the effect is not good, surgical resection or ablation can be selected.

For suspicious malignant nodules, it is best to do a needle biopsy first to determine the nature (some small cancers are very small, and the biopsy is inaccurate or false negatives occur. If the lymph node examination is normal, you can continue to check closely, and I feel uneasy It can also be followed up closely after ablation).

Remind:

Thyroid cancer is different from other cancers. Most thyroid cancers have almost no impact on life after regular treatment, and they often die because of other diseases. Even some countries and regions have treated papillary thyroid carcinoma as a benign disease. Hearing about thyroid cancer, many patients are born out of fear of cancer, and often think that they have an incurable disease and lose control of their emotions. In fact, unlike other cancers, more than 80% of thyroid cancers can be cured. As long as they are diagnosed and treated early, it is not difficult to cure them.

Will benign thyroid nodules heal on its own?

This issue is brought up separately because there are too many patients consulting this issue. Some “magic doctors” claim to have “magic medicine” that can eliminate thyroid nodules, so beware of being fooled.

In short, most thyroid nodules do not have symptoms, generally have no effect on the body and do not require treatment, so there is no need to worry, but when physical examination or occasional thyroid nodules are found, you need to be under the guidance of a professional doctor in a regular hospital Reasonably arrange how to treat nodules. The doctor will give reasonable suggestions according to the specific situation: or follow up, or take medicine or surgery! But do not judge for yourself or follow the advice of non-medical professionals. The main purpose is to prevent the disease from progressing to advanced thyroid cancer, and even the spread of cancer cells, which is life-threatening and misses the best time for treatment.

(source:internet, reference only)

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