General Surgery Specialist Dr. Emran Kuzey Avcı at Izmir Private Gazi Hospital provided information about thyroid nodules and emphasized that not every thyroid nodule requires surgery.
Dr. Emran Kuzey Avcı stated that the thyroid gland is a butterfly-shaped gland located between the base of the neck and the ribs, just below the Adam's apple, which secretes the thyroid hormone regulating metabolism, and said that lump-like formations can be seen in this gland, and these formations are called nodules.
Thyroid Nodule Symptoms
Expressing that most thyroid nodules are insignificant and do not create any symptoms, Dr. Emran Kuzey Avcı said, "People with thyroid nodules do not know they have this condition before a doctor's examination. They are usually diagnosed during imaging methods performed for other reasons. However, some thyroid nodules grow so large that they can be seen from the outside. Sometimes, a physician is applied to with symptoms such as difficulty swallowing and breathing. People specialized in this work can notice that a person has a thyroid nodule with a look from the outside. Some thyroid nodules have the feature of secreting thyroxine hormone. These excessively secreted hormones can create conditions such as nervousness, sweating, tremors, increased heart rate, and weight loss in patients.""
Diagnosis and Treatment
Noting that cancer cells can also be seen in very few thyroid nodules, Dr. Emran Kuzey Avcı said, "In this sense, it is very important to determine which intervention or treatment will be applied to which nodule. In general, very large, rapidly growing, hard and fixed nodules suggest aggressive thyroid cancer. Even if the nodule size is small, it is very important to apply the interventions recommended by your doctor because the nodule size alone is not the most important factor. In the diagnosis stage, fine needle biopsy performed under ultrasound guidance is used. Afterwards, samples taken from the patient are examined, nodule characteristics are revealed, and necessary, appropriate treatments are planned gradually. Surgery is not necessary for most nodules.""
Expert Physician Staff
Stating that diagnosis, interventional, and surgical treatments are applied with current approaches under the guidance of the American Thyroid Association (ATA), European Thyroid Association (ETA), and Turkish Endocrine Societies at Izmir Private Gazi Hospital, Dr. Emran Kuzey Avcı said, "We serve patients with our expert physician staff in the field.""