WHAT IS THYROID CANCER?
The thyroid lives in the front part of the neck, just beneath the “Adam’s Apple” and is responsible for how the body uses energy, creates proteins and controls the body’s sensitivity to other hormones.
The thyroid can be affected by malignant (cancerous) tumours. There are 4 areas which can become affected by cancer: papillary (the most common type of thyroid cancer accounting for about 85% of cases), follicular (about 15% of cases, mainly affecting females, meduallary (about 3% of cases, generally a genetic disposition is the cause), and anaplastic thyroid cancer .
Thyroid cancer is more common among females over 40. Thyroid cancer risk factors include high iodine intake, exposure to radiation. Thyroid cancers can be caused by radiation therapy for head and neck cancers.
WHO ARE THE BUTTERFLY THYROID CANCER TRUST?
As a group dedicated solely to the support of patients with Thyroid Cancer they can offer fellow thyroid cancer patients who wish to join them the following:
- Use of the dedicated helpline to speak to someone who has had the disease.
- E-mail and telephone contact with group members to share experiences
- A “buddy” to help you through the stages of surgery, Radioiodine treatment and follow up
- Hospital visits
- Regular support group meetings
- Access to reliable up-to-date written information about the disease
- Access to a group member in clinic at the Northern Centre for Cancer Care (NCCC), Newcastle General Hospital
The helpline number is 01207 545469
They are available on this number Monday to Friday from 10 am to 4 pm.
Outside these times, please leave a message on our answerphone and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
OTHER RESOURCES ON THE SITE
There are lots of other resources which you can access on the Butterfly Thyroid Cancer Trust Website which are specifically for those affected by thyroid cancers.
There are a few different cancer types which can affect the thyroid and you can find out more information about that here, if you have a new diagnosis and want to find out more about a typical treatment journey then click here or if you want to talk to someone who has already been through the journey then click here for more information.
There is lots of resources on the site which can be useful , so if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a thyroid cancer then you might find it useful to get in touch with the Butterfly Thyroid Cancer Trust.
