The thyroid is a gland at the base of the throat near the trachea (windpipe). It is shaped like a butterfly, with a right lobe and a left lobe. The isthmus, a thin piece of tissue, connects the two lobes. A healthy thyroid is a little larger than a quarter. It usually cannot be felt through the skin. The thyroid uses iodine, a mineral found in some foods and in iodized salt, to help make several hormones. Thyroid hormones do the following:
- Control heart rate, body temperature, and how quickly food is changed into energy (metabolism).
- Control the amount of calcium in the blood.
- Papillary thyroid cancer: The most common type of thyroid cancer.
- Follicular thyroid cancer. Hürthle cell carcinoma is a form of follicular thyroid cancer and is treated the same way.
- Medullary thyroid cancer.
- Anaplastic thyroid cancer.
Possible signs of thyroid cancer include a swelling or lump in the neck.
Thyroid cancer may not cause early symptoms. It is sometimes found during a routine physical exam. Symptoms may occur as the tumor gets bigger. Other conditions may cause the same symptoms. A doctor should be consulted if any of the following problems occur:
- A lump in the neck.
- Trouble breathing.
- Trouble swallowing.
- Hoarseness.
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