TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Wang Chih-yuan (王景淵), deputy director of the Internal Medicine Department at National Taiwan University Hospital, said that thyroid cancer ranks as the fourth most common cancer among women in Taiwan and that cases have shown an upward trend in recent years.

Wang noted the cancer is about three times more common in women than in men in Taiwan, with an average age of onset around 50, per CNA. According to the Health Promotion Administration, there were 5,601 new cases of thyroid cancer in Taiwan in 2022, an increase of nearly 1,000 cases compared to 2021. 

Common signs of the cancer include a lump in the neck, difficulty swallowing, a feeling of something stuck in the throat, and persistent hoarseness. He emphasized the importance of regular checkups, noting that early detection and treatment can help keep the condition under control.

Lianan Clinic said that unusual swelling in the neck is often a sign of a more serious condition. Ultrasound scans combined with a fine-needle aspiration biopsy — a procedure that uses a thin needle to collect tissue from the lump — can be used to determine whether a lump is benign or malignant.

Wang said that typical treatments for the cancer include surgery and radioactive iodine therapy, a nuclear medicine treatment that uses radioactive iodine to destroy cancer cells. If the cancer recurs or spreads, targeted therapy, which focuses on specific genes or proteins involved in cancer growth, becomes a treatment option. He added the National Health Insurance covers the costs of some targeted drugs.

Tsai Hui-jen (蔡慧珍), deputy director of the National Health Research Institutes’ cancer research division, said that some targeted drugs may lead to drug resistance after long-term treatment and can also cause side effects such as skin reactions, diarrhea, and a decline in kidney function. She emphasized that these side effects can be mitigated through clinical care and dosage adjustments.