Mysterious Lump in Your Neck!?!

When you found a lump in your neck, no matter it is only one or many! You do not wait to consult with a doctor to examine which organ is a cause. The lump might be from an enlarged lymph node, enlarged salivary gland, a salivary gland infection, other types of tumors, or thyroid nodule.

The thyroid nodule is in front of the neck, which can be a single or multiple nodule. If you carefully notice yourself, you will find that the nodule moves up and down following the swallowing. In case of thyroid inflammation or thyroid bleeding, you will get hurt when groping your neck. Besides, if you have other symptoms, such as difficulty breathing, swallowing problems, and hoarseness, it results from squeezing or spreading to the neighboring organs. Moreover, if the thyroid nodule overproduces thyroid hormone, it causes thyrotoxicosis, leading to have these symptoms: weight loss, palpitations, shaky hands, increased appetite, heat intolerance, and poor sleep.

It is better to see an expert doctor when finding the nodule as you will receive deeply diagnosis, including a thyroid function test measuring your hormone levels to see whether you have thyrotoxicosis or have an abnormal level of thyroid hormone or not. Furthermore, there is another diagnosis, ultrasound. It is to evaluate the characteristics of the nodule, its size, and scope. In case the nodule size is more than 1 cm. or has some abnormalities from the ultrasound result, recommended to have Fine Needle Aspiration for deep diagnosis. If the result shows the nodule is a thyroid nodule without the disorder, you need to follow up on the symptoms, nodule size, and characteristics. On the other hand, in the case of a large thyroid nodule, it may pressure neighboring organs. In addition, it can cause thyroid cancer. In this case, you need to be received treatment from an expert doctor closely.

A thyroid nodule can be cancerous?

People at high risk of thyroid cancer include those who have a family history of thyroid cancer, fast-growing lumps, hard lumps spreading to neighboring organs, Lymphadenitis – enlargement of lymph nodes, hoarseness, a history of radiation exposure around the neck.

Consultation with the expert doctor to screen for Thyroid Cancer or Annual Check-up are available for you.

Dr. Promphan Pruksakorn

Internal Medicine

sub-specialty Endocrinology and Metabolism

Bangkok Hospital Chiangmai