Thyroid cancer
Signs and symptoms
Symptoms of thyroid cancer
- A painless or painful lump in your neck, which gradually gets bigger
- Difficulty in swallowing or breathing
- Changes to your voice, including hoarseness
Symptoms may be vague at first - thyroid cancer usually grows very slowly.
All these symptoms can be caused by conditions other than cancer and most lumps in the front of the neck are not cancer. It’s still important to go to the GP and get any unusual changes checked.
Can I be screened for thyroid cancer?
Testing for cancer when you have no symptoms is called screening. There is no national thyroid cancer screening programme in Ireland at present.
If you are concerned about thyroid cancer or have a family history of medullary thyroid cancer, talk to your GP.
Continue reading about thyroid cancer
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