Papillary thyroid carcinoma and other carcinomas
Carcinoma is a type of malignant neoplasm that develops from epithelial cells of various organs. Due to such a common morphological feature, all carcinomas are in a certain sense "relatives" regardless of localization - whether it is invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast, or cervical carcinoma of the cervix, or lung carcinoma.
In many cases, carcinomas differ only at the cellular level, but the clinical symptoms may be similar. Thus, the main symptoms of cholangiocarcinoma (pain in the right hypochondrium, impaired bile flow, weight loss, anemia) will be the same as the symptoms of hepatocellular carcinoma of the liver. The morphological difference of carcinomas is important mainly for the prognosis of a person's life - some carcinomas are more aggressive than others.
On the one hand, carcinoma is like a punishment for humanity. In terms of mortality, it ranks second in the world after cardiovascular diseases. On the other hand, a diagnosis of carcinoma is not a sentence. In the early stages, when the process is localized (that is, the lesion covers a small volume of tissue) and there are no metastases, carcinoma can be cured. An example is gastric carcinoma of a non-specific type.
Features of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland
In the last 20 years, the problem of thyroid disease in Ukraine is more relevant than ever. This is partly due to the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which resulted in the release of radioactive substances that have a negative effect on the gland. The number of oncological diseases of the thyroid gland has also increased - according to various data, by 1.8-2.5 times.
Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland ranks first among malignant tumors of this organ in terms of disease frequency. In the early stages, it is manifested only by the presence of a nodule in the thyroid gland. More informative symptoms appear in the later stages - these are:
- pain in the projection of the node;
- difficulty swallowing;
- hoarse voice and cough, although there are no signs of a cold;
- shortness of breath and swelling of neck veins.
In the early stages, it is diagnosed using:
- X-rays;
- Ultrasound;
- biopsies;
- detection of tumor markers in the blood.
Despite the threatening scale of spread of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid gland, any patient can be cured of it if the disease is diagnosed at an early stage of development.
Invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast
The mammary gland in women is another organ that is targeted by malignant diseases. The most common form of cancer of this organ (80%) is invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast. In this case, the cancer process begins with the epithelial cells lining the milk ducts and spreads to the tissue of the gland itself. If earlier, women aged 53-59 years mostly suffered, now the age limit for the disease is within the framework of 55-57 years. Symptoms of this type of tumor do not appear in the early stages - they manifest themselves when the process has already gained momentum. First of all, it is:
- the presence of a node in the mammary gland;
- swelling of tissues under the armpit on the side of the impression;
- illogical and inexplicable pains in the upper limbs and back;
- quick fatigue.
One of the most important diagnostic methods is mammography.
This is an unpleasant disease - even at the 1st stage of development, it often requires the removal of the mammary gland. After a radical intervention, plastic reconstruction of the mammary gland is performed for aesthetic reasons.
Features of carcinoma diagnosis
Different types of carcinomas can clinically manifest themselves in the same way. Therefore, it is important to use additional diagnostic methods. Oncologists are greatly helped by the definition of tumor markers - compounds that signal the development of a tumor. For example, determine the antigen of squamous cell carcinoma. Good in diagnosis help:
- Ultrasound of the affected organ;
- X-ray;
- MRI;
- diagnostic methods that are used exclusively for examination of a specific organ (mammography for diseases of the mammary gland);
- biopsy - removal of a fragment of affected tissue for examination under a microscope.
Operation for lung carcinoma with metastases and other methods of treatment for carcinoma
For the treatment of carcinomas, the following are used:
- chemotherapy - effect on carcinoma with chemical compounds;
- radiation therapy – action by ionizing radiation;
- radical surgical treatment - removal of the tumor;
- palliative surgical treatment – elimination of complications that arose when it is impossible to remove the tumor.
In most cases, these methods are combined - for example, radiation therapy is used after surgery for lung carcinoma with metastases.
The choice of treatment method for carcinoma of one or another localization depends on many factors:
- stages of disease development and degree of neglect;
- general condition of the patient;
- presence of accompanying diseases (they can complicate the course of cancer);
- age category;
- results of analyses.
Often, at the first symptoms of the disease, patients turn not to an oncologist, but to narrow specialists. So, at the 1st stage of basal cell skin cancer, which is manifested by nodules and skin ulcers, the patient goes to the dermatologist without suspecting anything. He should suspect a problem and send the patient for consultation to an oncologist.
Prognosis of treatment of cervical carcinoma of the cervix and other carcinomas
It is possible to predict what the outcome of carcinomas will be only with a certain percentage of probability - medical luminaries have not yet learned how to determine how a tumor will behave. Thus, the prognosis for the treatment of cervical carcinoma of the cervix can be pessimistic - at the same time, patients can live 2-3-4 times longer than the doctors announced. The prognosis for the development of a carcinomatous lesion depends on a complex of factors. First of all, it is:
- the degree of differentiation of tumor cells (simply speaking, how mature they are); for example, low-differentiated urothelial carcinoma of the bladder is less aggressive than adenocarcinoma of the bladder, the cells of which are more "adult", the prognosis for the first is more favorable;
- presence of metastases;
- growth of the tumor into neighboring organs (and, as a result, disruption of their functions).
Read more about what factors are important for prognosis in carcinomas on our website Dobrobut.com.
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