Why is the incidence of thyroid cancer soaring? How long can I live with thyroid cancer? What is thyroid nodules? Who are the people who are prone to thyroid disease? To answer these questions, let’s unravel the mystery of thyroid gland one by one. What are thyroid nodules and can they become cancerous? Thyroid nodules can be single or multiple. Multiple nodules have a higher incidence than single nodules, but single nodules have a higher incidence of thyroid cancer. Thyroid nodules are complicated by various thyroid diseases, such as simple goiter, thyroiditis, thyroid tumor, etc. Their nodules may be solitary or multiple, and clinically there is a difference between benign and malignant. Generally speaking, the larger the nodule and the faster it grows, the more likely it is to be malignant, especially if there is a family history of the disease, it should be checked as early as possible. The methods of examination are also simple: one is ultrasound and the other is fine needle aspiration. The former is easy to carry out to confirm the presence of nodules and determine the initial signs of tumor; the latter can be regarded as the “gold standard” for thyroid cancer diagnosis, with an accuracy rate of over 90%, and can be carried out in many large hospitals. Symptoms and signs of thyroid nodules Thyroid nodules usually do not show functional changes and the patient’s basal metabolic rate is normal, but a few patients may have hyperthyroidism secondary to the nodules. Compression from one side, the trachea is displaced or bent to the other side; compression from both sides, the trachea is narrowed and breathing is difficult, especially in the case of retrosternal goiter. Long-term pressure on the tracheal wall can lead to tracheal softening and cause asphyxia. 2, compression of the recurrent laryngeal nerve: it can cause vocal cord paralysis (mostly on one side) and hoarseness of the patient’s pronunciation. Compression of the sympathetic ganglion chain in the neck can cause Horner syndrome, which is extremely rare. 3. Compression of the esophagus: rare, only the retrosternal goiter may compress the esophagus and cause discomfort when swallowing, but it does not cause obstructive symptoms. 4. Compression of the large deep jugular vein: it may cause difficulty in blood return to the head and neck. This condition is mostly seen in suprathoracic, large goiters, especially retrosternal goiters. The patient’s face is puffy with bruising and swelling, along with a shallow neck and chest. What should I do if I want to check my thyroid gland? Generally speaking, there are two ways to check the thyroid gland: first, ultrasound. High-resolution ultrasound can better identify thyroid cancer, even tiny thyroid cancer which is very hidden. The second is a blood test to see if the thyroid function indicators are within the normal range. Why is the incidence of thyroid cancer rising rapidly? Despite the influence of dietary environment and external pollution, the increase of thyroid cancer patients is actually closely related to the upgrade of detection means. In other words, it is not so much an increase in incidence as it is an increase in detection. In the past, we relied on palpation, ultrasound, puncture and intraoperative pathology to determine if we had thyroid cancer. Nowadays, high-resolution ultrasound can help us to identify more patients with thyroid cancer, even microscopic thyroid cancers that are very insidious. This has resulted in a large number of patients with thyroid cancer being diagnosed early on the one hand, and on the other hand, it has raised higher demands for the treatment and long-term management of thyroid cancer patients. How long can I live with thyroid cancer? Having thyroid cancer does not mean that life is over. It is because 95% of thyroid cancers are less malignant differentiated thyroid cancers. If treated properly, many patients can live as long as normal people and their quality of life will not be affected. But at the same time, it is important not to neglect thyroid cancer because of its good prognosis, and it is also important to adhere to standardized treatment, such as timely surgery.