Thyroid Cancer

The butterfly-shaped thyroid gland is found at the base of the throat in the front of the neck.  Almost 10 out of 10 (100%) of MEN2a patients will develop medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) by the time they are aged 40.  The thyroid cancer or the pre-cancerous hyperplasia, may be found using blood tests to measure levels of calcitonin.  Treatment involves an operation to remove the thyroid gland and the nearby lymph nodes (total thyroidectomy).  After the operation lifelong medication called Thyroxine needs to be taken.  If calcitonin is still detected after the operation, further operations and other therapies are used to control it.  MTC is usually slow growing and may often be managed effectively in this way without symptoms for many years.  Children identified as having MEN2a are offered a thyroidectomy before the age of 5.  Parathyroid glands are sometimes unavoidably removed at the same time as the thyroid gland (see parathyroids)