Fact 9: Diagnosis of Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer diagnosis typically involves a series of steps. It often begins with a routine physical examination, where a doctor might notice a lump (nodule) on the patient’s neck. However, since most thyroid nodules aren’t cancerous, further tests are needed to determine if the nodule is malignant.
One of the common tests is a fine-needle aspiration (FNA) biopsy, where a small amount of tissue is removed from the thyroid nodule and examined under a microscope. Imaging tests, such as ultrasound or computed tomography (CT) scans, might also be used to get a clearer picture of the thyroid and the surrounding area.
It’s also worth mentioning that certain types of thyroid cancer, such as medullary thyroid cancer, can sometimes be detected early using blood tests that measure the level of calcitonin in the body. (9)
