This cancer occurs in tissues of the endocrine system which consists of your body’s hormone-secreting glands including the thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal, pancreas, and pituitary glands. These glands are located in different areas of the body and produce hormones that regulate many bodily functions.
Endocrine cancers are the fastest growing cancer in women and affect women three times more often than men. At the time of diagnosis, most women are usually between the ages 40 and 50. Men who develop endocrine cancer are usually diagnosed in later years, between the ages 60 and 70.
The most common type of endocrine cancer is thyroid cancer. Your thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your throat. It has two main sections, a left lobe and a right lobe. The middle of the thyroid gland, where the lobes meet, is called the isthmus. Your thyroid makes the hormone thyroxine which helps control metabolism, blood pressure, heart rate, body temperature, and weight.
Most thyroid cancers are very treatable and usually can be cured with surgery and appropriate therapy.
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Endocrine Cancer Symptoms
Early thyroid cancer has no symptoms. Normally, the thyroid gland can’t be felt. As thyroid cancer progresses, the following symptoms may occur:
- A lump in the throat
- Cough
- Hoarseness
- Pain in the throat and neck
- Difficulty Swallowing
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
If you have these symptoms, talk to your MedStar Health doctor
Endocrine Cancer Risks
Many risk factors cannot be controlled by patients. Risks include:
- Gender
- Age
- Family History
- Prior exposure to radiation
Endocrine Cancer Types
Thyroid cancer is the most common type of endocrine cancer treated. The other types endocrine cancer our experts treat are:
- Parathyroid cancer
- Adrenal cancer
Parathyroid Cancer
The parathyroid glands are four pea-sized organs found in the neck near the thyroid gland. The parathyroid glands make parathyroid hormone (PTH or parathormone). PTH helps your body use and store calcium and maintain normal blood calcium levels.
Parathyroid Cancer Symptoms
Signs and symptoms of parathyroid cancer include:
- Weakness
- Feeling very tired
- Nausea and vomiting
- Loss of appetite
- Weight loss for no reason
- Increased thirst
- Urinating much more than usual
- Constipation
- Trouble thinking clearly
Other signs and symptoms of parathyroid cancer include the following:
- Abdominal pain
- Pain in the side or back that doesn't go away
- Bone pain
- A broken bone
- Lump in the neck
- Change in voice such as hoarseness
- Trouble or difficulty swallowing
Other conditions may cause the same signs as Parathyroid cancer. Check with your MedStar Health doctor if you have any of these problems.
Adrenal Cancer
Adrenal cancer involves the adrenal glands which are located above each of your kidneys deep inside your upper abdomen. The adrenal gland has two parts. The outer part, called the cortex which produces hormones, is where most malignant tumors develop.
Adrenal Cancer Symptoms
- Fever
- Noticeable lump in the abdomen
- Persistent pain (pressure of tumor on organs)
- Feeling of "fullness" (caused by tumor pressing against the stomoach)
- Unexplained weight loss
Check with your MedStar Health doctor if you have any of these problems
Adrenal Cancer Risks
- Age
- Family history
- Smoking
Hear from our endocrinologists.
Learn more about endocrine cancer treatments at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.
