What Are the Causes of Left Thyroid Tumor Development?

For women, it is easy to develop thyroid tumors in the neck. Once this disease occurs, a lump will appear in the front of the patient's neck, which will move with swallowing. Some patients may also experience hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, or difficulty breathing. Generally speaking, thyroid tumors are benign, and patients usually do not experience significant discomfort. Thyroid tumors are common tumors in the head and neck, and are more common in women. The symptoms include a lump in the middle of the front of the neck that moves with swallowing. Some patients may also have hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, or difficulty breathing. There are many types of thyroid tumors, including benign and malignant ones. Generally speaking, a single lump that grows rapidly is more likely to be malignant, and thyroid lumps in younger patients are more likely to be malignant. Due to obvious symptoms, patients can generally seek medical attention in time. Benign thyroid tumors are common, accounting for approximately 50% of neck lumps. Generally, there are no obvious symptoms. When the tumor is large, it can cause symptoms such as difficulty breathing, difficulty swallowing, and hoarseness due to compression of the trachea, esophagus, and nerves. When the tumor rapidly increases due to bleeding, it can cause local pain. Because benign thyroid tumors have a potential for malignancy, some, although benign, may present as "hot nodules" (i.e., high functionality), and thus require active treatment. The pathogenesis of malignant thyroid tumors is not yet clear, but its related factors include many aspects, mainly including the following categories: 1. Cancer genes and growth factors: Modern research has shown that the occurrence of many animal and human tumors is related to the overexpression, mutation, or deletion of proto-oncogene sequences. 2. Ionizing radiation: It has been identified that external radiation to the head and neck is an important carcinogen for the thyroid. 3. Genetic factors: Some medullary thyroid cancers are autosomal dominant inherited diseases; in some patients with thyroid cancer, a family history can often be inquired. 4. Iodine deficiency: As early as the beginning of the 20th century, it was proposed that iodine deficiency could lead to thyroid tumors. 5. Estrogen: Recent studies have suggested that estrogen can affect thyroid growth mainly by promoting the release of TSH from the pituitary and acting on the thyroid. Because when the level of estrogen in the blood increases, the level of TSH also increases. Whether estrogen directly acts on the thyroid is not yet clear.