| People who notice unusual nodules in the neck should | | | | lymphatic spread to the jugular and to the |
| visit a doctor in a short time in order to find out if the | | | | supraclavicular lymoh nodes and much more, the |
| nodules represents a malign or a bening tumor. | | | | tumor may reach to the lumph nodes in the chest. |
| Moreover, the doctor can examine the patient by a | | | | It is imortant to note that in some cases, thyroid cancer |
| simple examination of the neck and also he can settle | | | | can affect ot only the areas around the neck such as |
| a proper diagnosis by performing certain laboratory | | | | lymph nodes, but also it can spread to other parts of |
| tests which have the role to determine the function of | | | | the body through the bloodstream. This travel of the |
| the thyroid gland. Another way which describes how | | | | tumor to other organs is known as metastases and |
| much the tumor has grown is represented by the | | | | even though this form is very rare, it can be quite |
| staging of the cancer. For instance one of the most | | | | severe due to its possibility to affect the lungs and |
| common test and tends to be quite efficacious is a | | | | bones. What is more is that staging system is very |
| nuclear medicine study with radioactive iodine. By using | | | | used in describing the extent of the affection in both |
| this test it can be easily found the etiology of a thyroid | | | | the thyroid itself and the neck. In addition, the staging |
| nodule and in this way a nodule may appear as "hot" | | | | system used to describe thyroid tumors is the TNM |
| which means that has a large amount of radioactivity | | | | system and is used to identify and descriebe various |
| and "cold" when it doesn't take too much iodine. Both | | | | types of cancer. The TNM systems includes 3 |
| appereances of the nodules are bening, except the | | | | components: T-Describing the extend of the "primary" |
| "cold" form which can be malignant in 15-20% of | | | | tumor; N-describing the spread to the lymp nodes and |
| cases. | | | | M-describing the spread to other organs. |
| Moreover, thyroid cancer has the ability to spread and | | | | In conclusion, the patients who suffer from thyroid |
| invade different parts of the throat, also affecting | | | | cancer have the posibility to find out the stage and |
| adjacent structured in the neck. The most common | | | | extension of their affection by performing various test |
| areas that tumors can affect include the tracheal and | | | | and in this way the physician may prescriebe an |
| esophageal extensions, lymph nodes producing a | | | | appropriate treatment. |