What is Thyroid?

The thyroid is an organ located in front of the trachea, under the area known as the Adam's apple. The thyroid is responsible for regulating many hormones in the body.

What are Thyroid Diseases?

Thyroid diseases can be benign or malignant. Benign thyroid diseases are goiter, hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism. Goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland, sometimes accompanied by a nodule. Goiter may manifest itself as swelling on both or one side of the neck. Goiters with large nodules can cause difficulty in swallowing, shortness of breath, and sometimes pain. In some cases, cases where the thyroid gland enlarges into the chest cavity are also encountered.

Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland works too hard and excess hormones are secreted. Highly secreted thyroid hormones affect the nervous, heart and muscular systems. Symptoms are tremors in the hands, weight loss, sweating, insomnia, nervousness, stress, heart palpitations and weakness in the muscles. Hypothyroidism is the condition of low or no secretion of thyroid hormone. Symptoms include weakness, weight gain, sensitivity to cold, anemia, sweating, dry skin, constipation, disruption of the menstrual cycle, edema and depression. Malignant thyroid diseases are masses, tumors or cancers seen in the thyroid glands. These tumors develop inside thyroid nodules. However, not every nodule becomes cancerous. While small tumors do not cause symptoms for years, as the tumor grows, it puts pressure on its surroundings and can manifest itself with pain, shortness of breath, difficulty in swallowing and swelling in the throat.

What are the Thyroid Treatment Methods?

Medication, radioactive iodine therapy, and one or more surgical methods can be used as goiter treatment. If hormone deficiency is detected, hormone medications are used. If hormone excess is detected, thyroid hormone suppressing drugs and radioactive iodine therapy are used. As a treatment for hyperthyroidism, thyroid hormone suppressing drugs are used or, if more appropriate, radioactive iodine therapy is applied. Hormone medications are used to treat hypothyroidism. Hypothyroidism cancers are divided into four: papillary type, follicular type, modular type and analastic type. Different treatment methods are used for each. Papillary type thyroid is treated surgically.

If microcancer is detected after surgery, medication and thyroid hormone treatment are administered. If the cancer reaches the lymph nodes, if the cancer reaches the capsule surrounding the thyroid and if the diameter of the cancer is larger than 10 mm, radioactive iodine treatment is applied no later than 6 months after the surgery. In case of follicular type cancer after total directectomy, radioactive drug therapy is used regardless of tumor size. For the medullary type, lymph dissection is performed on the side of the tumor after total directectomy.