How dangerous is a malignant thyroid tumor? Can it be cured?

Video content is professionally consulted by Specialist Doctor II Le Thi My - Thyroid Pathology Center - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

According to statistics, the rate of people with malignant thyroid tumors in the world is on an increasing trend in recent years. In Vietnam, each year there are nearly 10,000 new cases. So is malignant thyroid tumor dangerous or not? How to treat?

According to Dr. Le Thi My - Vinmec Times City Hospital, thyroid cancer can be considered a benign cancer. Like other types of cancer, malignant thyroid tumor has many different types, in which papillary malignant thyroid tumor is one of those with good prognosis, can be completely cured, life expectancy of the patient is not high. The disease will reach 20-25 years. For the remaining types such as cysts, medullary bodies, undifferentiated bodies... the prognosis is poor, the risk of metastases to other organs is higher. However, these types account for a very small percentage (about 10%), so malignant thyroid tumors are not as scary as people think.
Causes of malignant thyroid tumor formation include:
History of radiation exposure; Immune system disorders; Genetic factors; Age factors, hormone changes; Due to thyroid disease; Due to side effects of some drugs Other causes such as iodine deficiency, frequent alcohol consumption, smoking, overweight, obesity... Thyroid tumor is completely non-infectious. Currently, in the world and Vietnam, there are 3 methods to treat malignant thyroid tumors:
Surgery: The most important method in treating malignant thyroid nodules, partial or total removal surgery. thyroid gland on a case-by-case basis. Radiation therapy: of little value in differentiated malignancies, often used for undifferentiated thyroid nodules and medullary malignancies. Use of hormone therapy: Indicated after post-operative I131 therapy, or after total thyroidectomy or with extensive metastases after failure of radical therapy. In addition, a new method of treating malignant thyroid tumors that has been used recently is radiofrequency ablation, which is applied to the phenomenon of early papillary thyroid tumors, the cancerous nuclei are less than 10mm in size. and is located in the thyroid parenchyma.
In summary, whether malignant thyroid tumor is dangerous and not successful depends on the condition of the disease, however, because this is considered a benign cancer, if the patient detects the disease early, it can Treatment of malignant thyroid tumor completely cured, the prognosis is quite good.