The following symptoms and complaints may indicate thyroid cancer (thyroid cancer):
Leading symptoms
- Derby but indolent (painless) nodules on the neck that rapidly increase in size, as well as nodules fused to the bedrock or with signs of surrounding infiltration (→ Horner syndrome* , recurrent paresis* * )
- Enophthalmos* * – recession of the eyeball [nodule size of at least 4 cm is considered an independent risk factor for malignancy (1)]
- Hoarseness*
- Lymph node enlargement
- Miosis* * (pupil constriction)
- Ptosis* * (eyelid drooping)
Associated symptoms
- Diarrhea (diarrhea), refractory (unresponsive to therapy) – Occurrence in medullary thyroid carcinoma [rare].
- Dysphagia (dysphagia).
- Pain in the neck, jaw angle or in the back of the head.
In many cases, thyroid cancer is asymptomatic in the early phase. Only later do the above symptoms appear.
The metabolic state is usually euthyroid (normal thyroid function).
