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Can You Get Cancer in Your Glands?
The American Heritage Dictionary gives the definition of a gland as this:
"A cell, a group of cells, or an organ that produces a secretion for use elsewhere in the body or in a body cavity or for elimination from the body. Any of various organs, such as lymph nodes, that resemble true glands but perform a non-secretory function."
The many glands are located through out the body and release fluids and hormones that play an important role in maintaining good health in the body. There are two types of glands. The ducted gland, known as the exocrine glands, they release the hormones through ducts. The ductless, known as the endocrine glands, release hormones directly into the blood stream. The exocrine type include the sweat glands and mammary glands. Glands that make up the endocrine type are the thyroid, ovaries, testes and parathyroid.
The question is can you get cancer in the glands? To be able to answer that we have to understand the way cancer develops and travels.
Cancer develops when the DNA of a cell becomes damaged or changed, producing mutations that affect normal cell growth and division. The cells do not die as they should and new cells form when the body does not need them, forming a tissue mass called a tumor. The cancer cells spread throughout the area changing more healthy cells into malignant cancer cells in a process know as metastasis.
Cancer cells may then detach from the tumor to travel the bloodstream, through the veins or through the lymphatic system. Both in the bloodstream and lymphatic system the cancer cells stop at the first place it gets stuck. Cancer cells often get trapped in the lymph nodes closest to the tumor.
With the thyroid gland so close to the surface of the skin, it is fairly obvious when a lump or nodule develops on it. This lump may present pain, and difficulties in swallowing or breathing.
In my case a fluid filled cyst developed on my thyroid. When the fluid was extracted and sent for testing no cancer cells were present. When the cyst, after being drained several times, was removed surgically, the cancer was then found in the thyroid gland.
When the thyroid gland is found to have cancer surgery called a thyroidectomy is the usual treatment. When this surgery is performed the surgeon will also remove some lymph nodes. Thyroid cancer is known to spread to the lymph nodes in the area or the thyroid gland. If thyroid cancer cells are found in the removed lymph nodes that indicates that the cancer has broken through the capsule of the gland. A radioactive iodine treatment will normally be needed to ablate any remaining thyroid cells.
During whole body scans following a thyroidectomy, the small amount of radioactive iodine will attach itself to any thyroid tissue remaining. If a lymph node appears suspicious a fine needle biopsy will be done removing some cells to determine if it contains cancer.
By traveling in the body the way it does cancer of the glands is very much so a common occurrence.
The e-book "The Thyroid Gland In Simple Terms" explains this "Master" gland.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elaine_Savard
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