Two ‘unusual’ symptoms of thyroid cancer you shouldn’t ignore

The charity explains that these occur if you have a rare form of the cancer called medullary thyroid cancer.

Patients with medullary thyroid cancer could experience an increase in the hormone calcitonin, made by the cancer cells.

As a result they could experience:

• Frequent loose bowel movements (diarrhoea)
• A red face (flushing).

These are also listed by the NHS as less common symptoms of thyroid cancer, alongside a cough and weight loss.

Although these symptoms do not guarantee you have thyroid cancer, it is still worth getting them checked.

The NHS says: “Having them does not definitely mean you have thyroid cancer. But it’s important to get them checked by a GP.

“This is because if they’re caused by cancer, finding it early may mean it’s easier to treat.”

Common signs of thyroid cancer

Due to the location of the thyroid gland the most common signs of the disease involve the neck or throat.

According to the NHS, these include:

• A lump in the front, lower part of your neck
• A hoarse voice
• A sore throat
• Difficulty swallowing or breathing
• Pain in the front of your neck, or a feeling like something is pressing against your neck.

If you experience these signs you should speak with your GP, especially if you notice a new lump or a lump that gets bigger, or if the sore throat or cough lasts for more than three weeks.

However, it is rare that a lump in the thyroid is caused by cancer.

Cancer Research UK adds: “Thyroid lumps are very common. But only about five out of 100 thyroid lumps are cancer.

“Older people in particular can have small lumps in their thyroid gland called nodules. Nodules are more common in women than men.

“An enlarged thyroid gland that is not cancer is called a goitre. This swelling appears as a lump at the front of the neck which sometimes goes up and down when swallowing.

“Cancerous thyroid lumps aren’t usually painful. But you should get any lump (whether it is painful or not) checked out by your doctor.”

There are around 3,900 new diagnoses of thyroid cancer in the UK every year and around 400 deaths.

“Older people in particular can have small lumps in their thyroid gland called nodules. Nodules are more common in women than men.

“An enlarged thyroid gland that is not cancer is called a goitre. This swelling appears as a lump at the front of the neck which sometimes goes up and down when swallowing.

“Cancerous thyroid lumps aren’t usually painful. But you should get any lump (whether it is painful or not) checked out by your doctor.”

There are around 3,900 new diagnoses of thyroid cancer in the UK every year and around 400 deaths.