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September Activities Highlight Worldwide Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month

Thyroid Cancer Survivors Urge Neck Checks for Early Detection

Thyroid cancer is one of the few cancers continuing to increase in incidence, with an anticipated record of about 44,670 people newly diagnosed in the United States this year and more than 200,000 people expected to be newly diagnosed worldwide. It’s also a cancer that affects people of all ages, from young children to seniors.

When detected early, most thyroid cancers are treatable. However, some thyroid cancers are aggressive and difficult to treat.

These are some of the many reasons why ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Association, Inc. sponsors Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month each September.

This month will highlight the year-round activities of ThyCa participants in 55 countries to:

• Increase thyroid cancer education
• Raise awareness of the importance of early detection, treatment in accordance with expert guidelines, and lifelong monitoring
• Inform the public about ThyCa’s free information, support services, and publications.
• Increase awareness of the need for more thyroid cancer research.

ThyCa’s web site has hundreds of pages of information. It explains all types of thyroid cancer, diagnosis, treatment, research, clinical trials, and questions to ask your doctor.

The message for Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month is “Find It Early.” When detected early, most thyroid cancers are treatable. Early detection is a key to improving outcomes. Patient and caregiver education is also important, because thyroid cancer requires lifelong monitoring as recurrences can occur even decades after the diagnosis and initial treatment.

ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association, Inc. encourages people to ask for a neck check each time they visit their doctor. Signs to discuss with the physician include a lump or fullness in the neck, lymph node swelling, difficulty breathing or swallowing, or voice changes.

“Health care professionals are essential to the detection of thyroid cancer,” says ThyCa Executive Director Gary Bloom of Olney, Maryland, himself a thyroid cancer survivor. “Done properly, a neck check can be as simple as touching the neck and watching the patient swallow. This can be done very quickly and won’t cause any delays for the medical office, but that 30 seconds could make all the difference in the world when it comes to diagnosing thyroid cancer. Most thyroid cancer is treatable if found early, but some types are very aggressive and difficult to treat.”

ThyCa’s web site has hundreds of pages of information. It explains all types of thyroid cancer, diagnosis, treatment, research, clinical trials, and questions to ask your doctor. It also features a directory of local thyroid cancer support groups, connections to ThyCa’s 11 e-mail support groups, a calendar of coming events, and details about the Rally for Research and the ThyCa research grants.

Web site visitors can download ThyCa's free publications, including awareness flyers, the new 7th edition of the Low Iodine Cookbook, fact sheets in English and Spanish, and online newsletters. The annual International Thyroid Cancer Survivors’ Conference is being held this year in Dallas, Texas, on October 15 – 17, 2010.

In addition, ThyCa's web site section titled Raise Awareness gives downloadable flyers entitled, "Find It Early” and “Know the Signs,” a fact sheet titled "About Thyroid Cancer” and more materials. Free awareness brochures featuring actress and thyroid cancer survivor, Catherine Bell, co-star of the hit TV series, Army Wives and the free AACE Neck Check Cards are also available.

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