Five members of a family were diagnosed with the same cancer! Doctors remind us: Don’t put it off!

"If someone in the family has cancer, will the risk of other people getting cancer increase? Is cancer hereditary?" Many people have always had such questions in their minds.

On January 15, the reporter learned from the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chongqing University that the hospital recently diagnosed and treated a patient with thyroid cancer. Afterwards, the patient's mother, sister, uncle and cousin also underwent relevant screening for thyroid cancer and were found to have thyroid cancer.

Cai Ming, director of the Thyroid Tumor Department of the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Chongqing University, reminded that thyroid cancer is hereditary. "If someone in the family is sick, the risk of other members will increase accordingly. You must have regular physical examinations and pay attention to the screening of related tumors."

Doctors at the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chongqing University are performing surgery on Xiao Shen (pseudonym). Image source: Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chongqing University

01

Nodule growth causes concern

Remind family members to check for hidden dangers

Xiao Shen (pseudonym), 31 years old this year, was diagnosed with thyroid nodules during a physical examination six years ago, but he did not pay attention to it. Over the past few years, Xiao Shen did not follow the doctor's advice for regular follow-up visits.

Last November, Xiao Shen was diagnosed with medullary thyroid cancer after a biopsy. In early December, Cai Ming, director of the thyroid tumor department, led a team to successfully perform surgery on him.

"Considering the hereditary nature of medullary thyroid cancer, it is recommended that your family members also undergo relevant examinations." While Xiao Shen was in the hospital, a sentence Cai Ming said during the ward rounds sounded the alarm for him.

After being discharged from the hospital, Xiao Shen immediately asked his family to go for thyroid cancer screening. As a result, his mother, sister, uncle and cousin were all "infected" and highly suspected of thyroid cancer.

Subsequently, Xiao Shen's mother, sister and uncle recovered well after successfully completing thyroidectomy, and pathology results also confirmed thyroid cancer.

At present, Xiao Shen’s cousin has completed the relevant preoperative examinations and is preparing for follow-up surgical treatment.

02

Why does a family get sick at the same time?

Director Cai Ming said that this is mainly due to the hereditary nature of medullary thyroid cancer. Xiao Shen, his mother and his uncle all had medullary thyroid cancer, while Xiao Shen's sister and cousin had papillary carcinoma. Medullary thyroid cancer has a certain hereditary tendency, and if someone in the family is sick, the risk of other members will increase accordingly.

"Medullary thyroid cancer is highly hereditary and closely associated with the RET gene." Director Cai Ming introduced that medullary thyroid cancer accounts for 5%-10% of all thyroid malignancies and is divided into two types: sporadic and hereditary. The RET gene is a proto-oncogene that plays an important role in the occurrence and development of medullary thyroid cancer. When the RET gene mutates, it causes the growth and differentiation of cells to lose normal regulation, thereby increasing the risk of medullary thyroid cancer.

"This gene mutation can be transmitted to the next generation through autosomal dominant inheritance. If parents have medullary thyroid cancer, their children may also inherit this mutation, increasing the risk of developing the disease." Director Cai Ming suggested that for people with a family history of medullary thyroid cancer, regular RET gene testing is recommended to achieve early screening and prevention.

03

How to detect early, treat early and take good prevention measures?

According to the report "China's Malignant Tumor Disease Burden in 2022" released by the National Cancer Center, from 2000 to 2016, the incidence of thyroid cancer in China increased 20 times in 16 years, and has become the seventh most common cancer in China .

How to achieve early detection and early treatment of thyroid cancer?

"Self-examination + color Doppler ultrasound is the first choice." Director Cai Ming introduced that first, tilt your neck back and raise it, and look in the mirror to see if the thyroid gland is enlarged and whether the two sides are symmetrical. Secondly, while swallowing, touch your neck from top to bottom and then from bottom to top to see if you can feel any protruding lumps or lumps. If you feel a lump, it is recommended to go to the hospital for a color Doppler ultrasound examination in time.

To prevent thyroid cancer, you must understand the causative factors of thyroid cancer, which mainly include the following four aspects:

1. Ionizing radiation

Ionizing radiation is currently the most clear risk factor for thyroid cancer. The longer the exposure time and the younger the age, the higher the risk of thyroid cancer. A follow-up study of more than 100,000 survivors of the atomic bomb explosion found that nuclear radiation increased the risk of thyroid cancer by 1.28 times.

2. Iodine intake

There is currently considerable controversy regarding the relationship between iodine and thyroid cancer. Since some countries and regions implemented iodized salt policies, the incidence of thyroid tumors has increased significantly, but the overall incidence of thyroid tumors in my country has remained basically unchanged. Some studies also suggest that moderate intake of iodine-containing foods is not a risk factor for thyroid cancer and may even play a protective role.

3. History and family history of thyroid disease

If you have thyroid disease, then the probability of developing thyroid cancer in the future will be higher than others. Many thyroid cancer patients may suffer from hyperthyroidism, autoimmune thyroiditis, etc. before the onset of the disease. The latter means that if a family member has thyroid cancer, the probability of the offspring being infected will be higher than others.

4. Psychological and social factors

A study found that people who often feel stressed have a 2.127 times higher risk of thyroid cancer than those who feel less stressed; people who like to sulk have a 3.429 times higher risk of thyroid cancer than those who don't. In other words, you must learn to reduce your stress.

Experts advise

Cancer screening is the early detection of cancer

and precancerous lesions

Especially if there is a family history of cancer

History of long-term exposure to carcinogenic factors

Long-term bad living habits

High-risk groups such as chronic malnutrition

Especially those over 45 years old

Pay special attention to tumor screening and regular physical examinations

Source: CCTV.com, Nan Fang Daily, Red Star News