LONDON: A sore throat and swollen glands might be symptoms of a cold or fever, but they can also be symptoms of deadly cancer.
According to England's National Health Service (NHS), these symptoms can also be a sign of rare but dangerous thyroid cancer that affects the thyroid gland, a small gland at the base of the neck that produces hormones, reporst Daily Express.
Though it is easily treatable and in many cases, it gets cured completely, but it can sometimes return after treatment.
Some of the symptoms of this condition are:
- Swollen glands in the neck
- A painless lump or swelling in the front of the neck – although only one in 20 neck lumps are cancer
- A sore throat that doesn't get better
- Difficulty in swallowing
Speaking about the symptoms, the NHS said, “The symptoms can be caused by less serious causes, such as an enlarged thyroid, so it's important to get them checked out. You can organise a blood test to check how well your thyroid is working. If they think you could have cancer or they're not sure what's causing your symptoms, you'll be referred to a hospital specialist for more tests”.
The chance of getting thyroid cancer increases as you get older.
It’s more common in women, and women are more likely to get thyroid cancer in their 30s and 40s than men.