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Thyroid cancer symptoms
Thyroid cancer usually develops slowly, without obvious signs, but symptoms may include:
- a lump or nodule in the neck (usually painless, may grow gradually)
- swelling in the neck
- trouble swallowing
- difficulty breathing
- changes to the voice (e.g. hoarseness that doesn’t go away)
- swollen lymph nodes in the neck (may grow slowly over months or years)
- a cough that doesn’t go away.
Even though a painless lump in the neck is a typical sign of thyroid cancer, most of the time this is not a thyroid cancer.
Usually, an underactive thyroid (hypothyroidism) or an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism) is not a sign of thyroid cancer.
People were a little dismissive because thyroid cancer has a good outlook. They said, ‘If you’re going to get cancer, that’s the best type to get’. But I didn’t find this very helpful. The word ‘cancer’ made me feel gutted and afraid.
Read Jen’s story
→ READ MORE: Thyroid cancer diagnosis
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A/Prof Diana Learoyd, Endocrinologist, GenesisCare North Shore, St Leonards and University of Sydney, NSW; Sally Brooks, Senior Pharmacist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Monica Kwaczynski, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council WA; Susan Leonard, Clinical Nurse Consultant – Thyroid Cancer, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD; Juliette O’Brien OAM, Consumer; Jonathan Park, Consumer; A/Prof Robert Parkyn, Breast and Endocrine Surgeon, St Andrew’s Hospital and The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, SA; A/Prof David Pattison, Director, Department of Nuclear Medicine and PET Services, Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital, QLD.
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