Oncology is one of the main troubles of modern mankind. Despite the high level of progress in the field of medicine, malignant diseases continue to develop in the bodies of children and adults, taking the lives of many of them. Cancer comes in many different forms. For example, there is medullary thyroid cancer. It will be discussed below.
Illness concept
Medullary cancer (the second name is thyroid) is a type of thyroid cancer, in which the tumor begins to produce a huge amount of calcitonin. It is one of the most aggressive pathologies of the endocrine system.
The insidiousness of the disease lies in the fact that for a long time it does not cause any pronounced symptoms. For example, significant disturbances in the work of the gland make themselves felt only at the last, fourth stage.
Statistics
Medullary cancer is the third most common thyroid cancer. This disease has a tendency to rapid development and metastasis. The main group of patients - female representativesover 45.
Medullary cancer is a fairly rare disease. For every 5,000 cancer patients, there is only 1 patient with this pathology.
Mechanism of Cancer Development
Normally, thyroid cells are produced as needed to replace old ones that no longer cope with their functions. However, under the influence of certain factors (including hereditary), uncontrolled cell division begins, and they form a whole knot consisting of undifferentiated cells with cancerous properties. Thus, this formation becomes a malignant tumor.
Reason for development
It is still not known exactly what is the impetus for the development of oncology. However, scientists suggest that there are a number of contributing factors.
- Hereditary predisposition. It has long been proven that there is a gene responsible for stopping tumor growth. His defeat is hereditary. Therefore, if a person has a close relative with cancer, he has an increased risk of developing cancer in his body. In particular, this applies to the disease to which this article is devoted.
- Age after 45 years. As the body ages, cell division processes can be disrupted, which increases the risk of developing cancer.
- Bad habits. It has been proven that nicotine and alcohol have a pronounced carcinogenic effect. By abstaining from these substances, you canprotect yourself from cancer.
- Professional factor. People who have been in contact with chemicals for a long time are especially susceptible to malignant processes. This is especially true for workers employed in the pharmaceutical, chemical and similar industries.
- Irradiation. Everyone knows that exposure to radiation is detrimental to the cells of the body. In oncology, there are cases when a patient underwent radiation therapy to treat some form of oncology, after which he was found to develop medullary cancer.
- Stress. It is known that in a state of stress, the body undergoes significant changes, as a result of which the process of cell division may be disrupted.
Despite a huge number of factors, medullary cancer occurs, as a rule, under the influence of hereditary predisposition. If a person has it, then in this case, maintaining a he althy lifestyle does not guarantee anything.
Symptoms
Medullary cancer has a long latency period. In the first stages, a person feels absolutely he althy. Typically, cancer at this stage is discovered by chance at a routine medical examination by an otorhinolaryngologist.
At this stage, the tumor may affect the regional lymph nodes, they slightly increase in size. This is where the symptoms of stage 1 medullary thyroid cancer end.
However, if the disease is overlooked at this stage, it begins its rapid growth andspread of metastases.
At the second stage, the tumor becomes larger and begins to put pressure on neighboring tissues, as a result of which the patient's voice timbre may change, he may complain of pressing pains in the larynx, problems with the process of swallowing food, and systematic indigestion. Then, as medullary cancer progresses, the synthesis of calcitonin is significantly impaired in humans, resulting in a large loss of calcium in the body. This causes the rapid development of osteoporosis, thinning of the bones and a change in body proportions.
At the fourth stage, the patient acquires a characteristic appearance - a growth appears on the neck (goiter or struma). This tumor is capable of rapid malignancy (metastasis). Metastases continue to spread throughout the body, the functions of the affected organs are significantly impaired. The liver, lungs, and brain are most commonly affected. Even at this stage, the patient may not have pronounced symptoms, but gradually he begins to notice a cough, pain in the chest, right hypochondrium, headaches and dizziness.
Diagnostic Methods
To make an accurate diagnosis, it is advisable to prescribe several types of examinations for a patient who is suspected of developing oncology.
- First of all, such a person should take a blood test for calcitonin, a tumor marker of thyroid pathology. This is the most reliable type of study that can accurately confirm the presence or absence of medullary thyroid cancer.glands. Clinical guidelines state that the level of this substance in the patient's blood after surgery directly indicates the prognosis of the patient's life. However, it is impossible to make a definitive diagnosis based on the results of the analysis alone.
- Therefore, an ultrasound examination of the thyroid gland is additionally prescribed - a simple and quick examination method that provides images of the organ itself and regional lymph nodes. Ultrasound can give an answer about the size of the formation and its boundaries, but not about the degree of its malignancy.
- For this, there is such a method of examination as a biopsy. It provides comprehensive data on the nature of the tumor, its structure. This is the most accurate way, since the probability of error does not exceed 2%.
- Another method of diagnosing medullary thyroid cancer is CT (computed tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging). They can also be used to make a diagnosis or evaluate the effectiveness of a treatment. In addition, these methods provide the clearest image of the tumor, which allows the oncologist to get a complete picture of the disease.
Treatment of medullary thyroid cancer
As with many other forms of cancer, radiation or chemical therapy can be used to treat this pathology. However, the priority and most effective method will be the removal of the tumor or the entire organ.
Surgery
This method is especially effective onearly stages of the disease, which gives the patient every chance for recovery.
The surgeon cuts out the affected areas of the thyroid gland, as well as nearby lymph nodes. This is necessary to prevent a possible recurrence of the disease. There are cases when, in order to save the patient's life, the operating doctor is forced to perform a complete resection of the organ. In any case, after the operation, the patient's body can no longer fully produce the necessary hormones, so the person is forced to take thyroxin-based drugs (l-thyroxine and the like) until the end of his life.
In the event that the tumor has spread beyond the thyroid gland and has given a large number of metastases, the operation does not make sense. Such patients are prescribed chemotherapy.
Radiation therapy
Its use is relevant in cases where the results of a biopsy indicate the presence of malignant cells in tissues adjacent to the thyroid gland. To prevent their spread, oncologists irradiate the neck (in particular the throat) with gamma rays. In addition, this method is relevant for patients in the postoperative period. All this will help increase the chances of a full recovery.
Chemotherapy
This method of treatment is the use of drugs of the protein kinase inhibitor group. The drugs significantly inhibit the activity of this enzyme, which has the ability to provoke repeatedthe spread of cancer cells due to the formation of proteins with an abnormal structure. The most commonly used drugs are Axitinib, Gefitinib and the like. They have a systemic effect, so they often cause nausea, vomiting, indigestion in the form of diarrhea, disruption of the cardiovascular system and increased pressure. Oncologists should warn the patient about this and carry out symptomatic therapy in the treatment of medullary thyroid cancer. New research, however, says surgery is the only effective treatment for the disease.
Forecast
The prognosis of medullary thyroid cancer after surgery is the most favorable. That is, the greatest chances of survival are in those patients who were operated on for the removal of the gland or part of it at the first or second stage of the disease. The chances of recovery are especially increased with additional radiation therapy. The success of treatment can be judged by a blood test for calcitonin levels. If this indicator has decreased, then the disease has receded.
Among other things, the presence of metastases has a significant impact on the prognosis. As mentioned above, medullary thyroid cancer is characterized by high aggressiveness and the rate of spread of secondary foci. If they are located only in regional lymph nodes, then the prognosis is a five-year survival rate in 80% of patients. In the presence of metastases in separated organs, this figure does not exceed 20%. However, women tend to have slightly higher chancesto recovery than men.
Conclusion
Medullary thyroid cancer is an insidious disease characterized by long asymptomatic course and high mortality. Therefore, it is very important to monitor your he alth and the he alth of your loved ones, regularly undergo preventive medical examinations and medical examinations. This is especially true for people with a hereditary predisposition to the development of this pathology. Its timely diagnosis and immediate treatment is the only possible option for a full recovery and the continuation of a full life.
