4 Symptoms of Thyroid Cancer

1-Lump in the neck

Men will often find a nodule while shaving, while women might notice one while putting on makeup, says Robert Smallridge, MD, professor of medicine at Mayo Clinic in Jacksonville, Florida and deputy director of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center. About 90 percent of thyroid nodules are benign, but if you have a large lump in the front of your neck below the Adam’s apple, pay attention to how it acts. “The trick is it moves up and down when you swallow,” Dr. Tuttle says. “Most other lumps don’t move.” These are other cancer symptoms women should never ignore and cancer signs men should never overlook.

2-Hoarse voice

The recurrent laryngeal nerve, which controls the muscles that open and close vocal cords, lies right behind the thyroid. In rare cases, a nodule, particularly a cancerous one, can extend beyond the thyroid, damaging that nerve and affecting your voice box, Dr. Small ridge says. “Most patients describe it as hoarseness,” he says. These are signs you could have thyroid disease (that isn't cancer).

3-Chronic cough

A small percentage of people with thyroid cancer will develop a mysterious cough that doesn’t come with any other symptoms typically related to congestion. “A cough from thyroid cancer is not infectious, so people are puzzled and wonder why they’re coughing with no fever and no phlegm,” Dr. Tuttle says.

4-Difficulty swallowing

A nodule that has gotten large enough that you’re having trouble swallowing or breathing could indicate the cancer is aggressive and highly malignant. “It’s rare but worrisome,” Dr. Tuttle says. “It means things have gotten big and are growing.”

5-The importance of thyroid symptoms you can see

Doctors usually find thyroid cancer when patients are getting ultrasounds, CT scans, or MRIs for an unrelated reason, but the nodules will rarely cause problems, says Michael Tuttle, MD, an endocrinologist with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Patients can usually choose to keep an eye on the cancer and make sure it doesn’t get worse rather than getting treatment right away, he says. “I would ignore asymptomatic, millimeter-sized things that you’d only find if you’re looking for it,” he says. “But any signs or anything you can feel in the neck, that would cross over to something you should no longer ignore.” If you have any of these potential thyroid cancer symptoms, ask your doctor if you should get a fine needle aspiration to test for cancer.

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