A cancer warning

Thyroid cancer has the highest increase in incidence in the US of all cancers. Thyroid cancer is one of the so called 'good' cancers as it has a 95% 'cure' rate.

However here are a few facts of warning:

• The 'cure' includes the removal of the patient's thyroid which results in a life time dependence on a synthetic replacement hormone. Your body 'sort-of ' runs correctly. Some people never can get their dose correct and live in constant imbalance.
• It hits the young and old - from toddlers to seniors. And its increasing in young patients to the same prevalence as Non Hodgkin Lymphoma in teenagers. 
• No one knows why it is increasing in incidence so strongly but radiation exposure is suspect.
• When I was diagnosed with thyroid cancer I think there were about 12,000 cases nationally. In 2014 33 years later, there were 63,000 cases. That is more than the number of cases of rectal cancer, all types of leukemia, or all types of oral cancers, or pancreatic cancer. Haven't you heard of those?

So its not a good cancer if it affects so many. And its increase is not explained. Most other cancers are decreasing in incidence but not thyroid cancer. There is no awareness for thyroid cancer. Visit thyca.org for more information on the disease.