Is thyroid a benign tumor? Is it serious?

Experts point out that thyroid tumors are common clinical diseases and are frequently occurring. The vast majority of them are benign lesions, and a few are cancers. As long as the patient receives timely treatment, there will not be much harm, but if the patient does not receive timely treatment, the harm will be greater.

What are the dangers of thyroid tumor?

1. In the early stage of the disease, there are often symptoms of hyperthyroidism. Patients will show symptoms of palpitations, weight loss, and fatigue. As the disease progresses, patients will show varying degrees of thyroid poisoning symptoms, and some may experience hyperthyroid crisis.

2. If not treated in time, as the tumor gradually grows, it will compress the tissues around the patient's thyroid gland, commonly causing difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, etc., and in severe cases, suffocation may occur.

3. If benign thyroid adenomas are not treated in time, they may turn into cancer as the disease progresses, which will cause great harm to the patient's health. When the following symptoms occur, the possibility of cancer should be considered:

◆ The tumor has grown rapidly recently

◆ Tumor movement is limited or fixed

◆ Symptoms of compression such as hoarseness and difficulty breathing

◆ The tumor is hard and has a rough surface

◆ Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck

Five major inspections

1. Thyroid function test: Thyroid tumors are generally within the normal range. A small number of patients may have symptoms of hyperthyroidism, and some patients may have hypothyroidism when degeneration occurs.

2. Ultrasound examination: It can detect local changes in the tumor and clearly distinguish between cystic and solid nodules. However, it is difficult to distinguish the nature of solid nodules, so 131I thyroid scan is necessary.

3. 131I thyroid scan: It can detect the shadow of tumor nodules, which can be hot nodules, warm nodules, cool nodules, and cold nodules according to their functions. Most thyroid tumors are cold nodules.

4. Thyroid X-ray: X-ray examination can be used to observe whether the trachea shows signs of displacement or compression. Thyroid plain film can be used to understand whether the tumor has calcification. Benign tumors rarely have calcification, while cancerous tumors are more likely to have calcification. The calcification shadow is ground-glass-like and has irregular edges, which is helpful in determining the nature of the tumor.

5. Pathological examination: It helps to determine the pathological nature of thyroid tumors. However, there are different opinions on the role of thyroid needle biopsy in the diagnosis of thyroid malignant tumors. Some scholars believe that it can only be performed in cases other than thyroiditis.