International Thyroid Awareness Week | Is thyroid cancer more common in girls than boys? Experts say the incidence rate in women is three times that in men, mainly due to the following four reasons...

May 20-26, 2024 is the 16th International Thyroid Awareness Week. The theme is "Thyroid disease is a chronic disease", emphasizing the importance of early screening and early benefits.

In order to increase people's awareness and vigilance of thyroid cancer and convey the cancer prevention and treatment concept of "early prevention, early detection and early treatment", on May 23, the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chongqing University held the theme event of "'Thyroid cancer is wonderful in a short time' City Walk and Beauty Salon".

At 9 a.m., more than 30 thyroid cancer patients set out from the outpatient square of the Cancer Hospital, passed through two gas stations, and participated in the thyroid disease knowledge roulette activity at each station, completing health knowledge levels and Q&A sessions, and gaining a comprehensive understanding of thyroid cancer-related knowledge from the aspects of early prevention, early detection, and early treatment of thyroid cancer.

After walking 2.5 kilometers, we arrived at the end of the activity. Cai Ming, director of the Thyroid Tumor Department of the Affiliated Tumor Hospital of Chongqing University, gave a popular science lecture on thyroid cancer to raise people's awareness of prevention and health level. At the same time, patients advocated a healthy and positive lifestyle and a positive and optimistic life philosophy by making intangible cultural heritage gold bags.

The incidence rate has increased 20 times in 16 years

The thyroid gland is the largest endocrine organ in the human body. It is shaped like a butterfly and consists of the left lobe, right lobe and isthmus. The thyroid gland plays an important role in the body's calcium regulation and bone metabolism, metabolism, growth and development, increasing the excitability of the nervous system and cardiovascular system, and affecting gastrointestinal digestion and absorption.

"Thyroid nodules and thyroid cancer are common thyroid diseases." Director Cai Ming introduced that thyroid nodules refer to lesions caused by abnormal local growth of thyroid cells, which are mass-like changes inside the thyroid gland. "Thyroid nodules are divided into benign nodules and malignant nodules. Malignant nodules are what we often call thyroid cancer. According to the type of tissue cells from which thyroid cancer originates, it is mainly divided into four types in pathology: papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, medullary carcinoma, and undifferentiated carcinoma."

According to the "China Malignant Tumor Disease Burden in 2022" released by the National Cancer Center, the incidence of thyroid cancer in my country increased 20 times in 16 years from 2000 to 2016, and has become the seventh most common cancer in my country. Because thyroid cancer presents "two lows and one good" (mostly low malignancy, low mortality, and good prognosis) and is easy to detect early, it is often called "lazy cancer."

Director Cai Ming emphasized that although thyroid cancer is "lazy", it is not all gentle. Only papillary cancer progresses relatively slowly, but it does not mean that it will not progress. The other three types of cancer do not progress slowly. If left untreated, once they reach the middle and late stages, they will progress very quickly. "Early detection and early treatment are the key."

The incidence rate in women is three times that in men

According to national data from 2022, thyroid cancer has ranked third among the most common malignant tumors among women in my country, and has become one of the most common cancers among urban women. At the same time, thyroid cancer is more common in women than in men, with the number of women suffering from thyroid cancer being about three times that of men, and the trend is clearly younger.

Xiao Hong (pseudonym), 19 years old, is a freshman. She is tall and has always dreamed of joining the army. She originally planned to join the army in early March this year, but she was diagnosed with thyroid nodules during the physical examination. Accompanied by her family, she went to the Affiliated Cancer Hospital of Chongqing University for a follow-up examination. The color Doppler ultrasound showed that there were multiple nodules, and the TI-RADS classification was 4a and 4b. At the doctor's suggestion, Xiao Hong underwent ultrasound-guided fine needle puncture, which diagnosed her with thyroid cancer.

In mid-April, Director Cai Ming performed a "transoral vestibular laparoscopic thyroid surgery" on her, completely removing the thyroid tumor and diseased tissue. The postoperative pathology report showed that 7/9 of the cervical lymph nodes were metastatic (7 of the 9 lymph nodes removed during the operation had tumor metastasis).

Why did Xiao Hong get thyroid cancer at such a young age? Why does thyroid cancer "favor girls over boys"? Director Cai Ming introduced that studies have shown that the occurrence and development of thyroid nodules, especially thyroid cancer, are related to excessive estrogen levels in the body. The estrogen levels of young and middle-aged women are the highest in their lives, and they are also a high-risk group for thyroid cancer. Secondly, the levels of endocrine hormones in women change greatly throughout their lives. For example, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and the decline of ovarian function after menopause will affect the secretion of estrogen and progesterone. Endocrine disorders in women before and after menopause can stimulate the proliferation of thyroid cells, thereby developing into thyroid cancer.

"Long-term negative emotions are also one of the high-risk factors." Director Cai Ming said that women are more emotional and sensitive than men, and their emotions are more easily volatile. Long-term negative emotions will also interfere with endocrine levels, leading to abnormal secretion of thyroid hormones, thereby increasing the risk of thyroid cancer.

In addition, thyroid cancer also tends to cluster in families. Director Cai Ming said that if a parent or sibling has a thyroid disease, the person is more likely to develop thyroid cancer. "Studies have shown that the gene for thyroid disease is more likely to be inherited by women than by men. Whether the father or mother has thyroid disease, the daughter is more likely to carry the gene for thyroid disease."

Doing these things can effectively reduce the risk

How to prevent thyroid disease? Director Cai Ming said that although some of the reasons for the increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer are still unclear, according to the existing data, the incidence of thyroid nodules is mainly physiological and pathological, and is related to factors such as excessive iodine, iodine deficiency, high fluorine, increased thyroid hormone requirements, radiation, age, gender, mental state, nature of work, and emotional changes.

1. Avoid excessive radiation exposure, especially children and teenagers.

2. Reasonable diet: balanced intake of fruits, vegetables and meat, especially iodine

3. Exercise at least 3 times a week: Studies have shown that exercise can regulate hormone secretion levels in the body and prevent hormone-related cancers.

4. Adjust your emotions: Scientific research has found that negative emotions such as sensitivity, suspicion, anger, tension and anxiety are closely related to the occurrence of cancer. These emotions can easily lead to endocrine dysfunction and decreased immunity, which in turn leads to various physiological disorders in the body and causes cancer.

5. Avoid excessive drinking: The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified alcohol and its primary metabolites as Class 1 carcinogens, which have the highest level of carcinogenicity evidence in human and animal experiments.

6. Physical examination to screen for tumors: Tumor screening is an important way to detect cancer and precancerous lesions early, especially for high-risk groups such as those with a family history of tumors, a history of long-term exposure to carcinogenic factors, long-term bad living habits, long-term malnutrition, etc., especially those over the age of 45, should pay special attention to tumor screening and have regular physical examinations.