What causes Thyroid Cancer & Symptoms

Thyroid cancer occurs in the cells of the thyroid — a butterfly-shaped gland located at the base of your neck, just below your Adam's apple. Your thyroid produces hormones that regulate your heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and weight.

Symptoms

Thyroid cancer typically doesn't cause any signs or symptoms early in the disease. As thyroid cancer grows, it may cause:

A lump that can be felt through the skin on your neck

Changes to your voice, including increasing hoarseness

Difficulty swallowing

Pain in your neck and throat

Swollen lymph nodes in your neck

Causes

It's not clear what causes thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer occurs when cells in your thyroid undergo genetic changes (mutations). The mutations allow the cells to grow and multiply rapidly. The cells also lose the ability to die, as normal cells would. The accumulating abnormal thyroid cells form a tumor. The abnormal cells can invade nearby tissue and can spread throughout the body.

Types of Thyroid cancer are:

Papillary thyroid cancer

Follicular thyroid cancer

Medullary thyroid cancer

Anaplastic thyroid cancer

Anaplastic thyroid cancer

(Credits: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/thyroid-cancer/symptoms-causes/syc-20354161)