Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month

September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness month. Its probably awareness month for several other cancers, ailments and conditions. Like all months it also probably has an official birthstone, flower and more. I will focus on thyroid cancer awareness.

What we should all know about thyroid cancer.

• It used to be a relatively rare cancer. It has doubled in incidence since the 1990s and is the fastest growing cancer in the US.
• This year the American Cancer Society expects 56,460 cases in the US, this is more than the number of cases of ovarian, leukemia, myeloma, brain, uterine, bone, larynx, gall bladder, rectal, esophageal, stomach, or oral cavity cancers.
• If caught early, it has a relatively high rate of 'cure' but the patient is left with a lifelong chronic condition of having no thyroid.
• Treatment for thyroid cancer is very different from other cancers in its treatment. And it can recur decades later.

Some of the increased rates are attributed to advances in technology allowing smaller and smaller tumors to be detected. But environmental factors clearly contribute to the increases.

Check your neck is the message here.