This week's artwork was donated by Jaclyn, a pediatric cancer patient who received treatment at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia . Its incidence in women is more than twice that in men, and it can occur at any age. Patients with an endemic goiter are also thought to be at increased risk for this malignancy. Medullary carcinomas occur less frequently, and generally follow an indolent course. Patients may have a genetic predisposition to medullary and papillary thryoid carcinomas.
Clinical presentation varies according to the type of malignancy.
An asymptomatic thyroid mass and cervical lymphadenopathy are common signs. Less frequently, patients may exhibit hoarseness or signs of tracheal or esophageal compression. The most important means of diagnosing thyroid cancer is fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the suspicious nodule. Radionuclide scans can also provide information about whether the mass is able to concentrate iodine in the same way as the normal thyroid gland. Surgery is the treatment of choice.