A family of three was diagnosed with cancer at the same time. Doctor: The incidence rate is increasing year by year

On February 26, the topic #A family of three suffers from thyroid cancer# became a hot search, attracting the attention of netizens.

After the sister was diagnosed with thyroid cancer, her brother and mother were also diagnosed

Last October, 42-year-old Ms. Yang felt a foreign body sensation in her throat and coughed frequently. She was diagnosed with a malignant thyroid tumor at a local hospital, which had invaded her trachea and recurrent laryngeal nerve. Ms. Yang then went to Jiangsu Cancer Hospital for treatment. After careful evaluation, the hospital's head and neck surgery chief physician Liu Fangzhou decided to arrange surgery as soon as possible.

In view of the fact that thyroid cancer has the characteristic of family clustering, Director Liu suggested that Ms. Yang's brother and mother, who came to the hospital to accompany her, also undergo thyroid examinations. The day after Ms. Yang's operation, her brother underwent a thyroid elasticity ultrasound examination, and the result was level 5 (malignant risk>90%). After seeing the examination report, Director Liu asked her brother to undergo a thyroid puncture examination and be mentally prepared for the operation. The afternoon of the second day after her brother's examination, her mother also underwent an elasticity ultrasound examination, and the result was also level 5.

The biopsy showed that all three had papillary thyroid cancer. Director Liu promptly arranged surgery for Ms. Yang's brother and mother, and the family of three was discharged smoothly after the surgery.

Ms. Yang's thyroid malignancy has invaded the trachea and recurrent laryngeal nerve. Video screenshot (@荔枝新闻)

In less than a month, so many things happened at home that the whole family was still in shock. After learning that her mother and brother only needed to take medication and have regular checkups after surgery because the cancer was discovered in time, Ms. Yang repeatedly said, "I didn't expect that they would both have cancer. Fortunately, I listened to the doctor and had a checkup in time. It was a blessing in disguise!"

Director Liu said that for the same type of cancer, early detection leads to better treatment effects, while late detection leads to poor treatment effects, more complications, and complicated follow-up treatment. He reminded everyone to have regular physical examinations and participate in regular tumor screening. Why did three people in a family get thyroid cancer at the same time?

Director Liu analyzed that this is mainly closely related to the familial clustering of thyroid cancer . Ms. Yang's experience is not an isolated case. Previously, four people in a Zhejiang family were diagnosed with thyroid cancer within 6 years, which also confirmed that thyroid cancer has the characteristics of familial inheritance. An article published in the JNCC (Journal of the National Cancer Center) by the National Cancer Center in 2022 shows that the incidence of thyroid cancer in China has increased year by year and has become the seventh most common cancer in China. The prevalence rate in the female group is relatively high. Compared with the national cancer epidemiological statistics in 2012, the latest data show that the incidence of thyroid cancer in women has risen from seventh to third. Director Liu reminded: "Don't be careless if someone in the family has thyroid cancer. Epidemiological surveys show that the occurrence of thyroid cancer is related to genetic factors. Because of inherited familial genetic defects and the presence of multiple susceptibility genes for thyroid cancer, a family is more likely to suffer from thyroid cancer together." In addition, similar lifestyles are also the reason why Ms. Yang and her family have thyroid cancer. Director Liu said, "The family's lifestyle and environment are relatively similar, especially some unhealthy living habits, such as unhealthy diet, lack of exercise, long-term inhalation of secondhand smoke, radiation exposure, etc., which may cause thyroid cancer."

If you have these 3 symptoms, seek medical attention immediately

1. Swelling of the neck

If your neck is swollen, it means there is a problem with your thyroid gland.

When the body is deficient in iodine, the demand for thyroid hormone will increase, causing local thyroid hyperplasia and growth, resulting in local thyroid ischemia and necrosis, thus forming nodules.

In some areas, excessive iodine intake causes neck swelling and even nodules to grow.

2. Difficulty breathing

If your thyroid gland is enlarged, you may experience breathing difficulties.

When the thyroid nodules swell to a certain extent, the organs and tissues around the thyroid gland will be compressed. If they compress the trachea, the trachea will become narrow, causing difficulty breathing.

3. Hoarseness

When your voice becomes hoarse, it is most likely not caused by inflammation, but by thyroid disease. If the thyroid gland swells and forms nodules, the nodules will grow larger as the disease progresses. When they grow to a certain extent, they will invade the nerve tissue around the thyroid gland. If they invade the recurrent laryngeal nerve, the vocal cords will be affected, resulting in hoarseness.

Source: Beijing Youth Daily, Science Popularization China, Chengdu Western Thyroid Hospital