Byetta Thyroid Cancer Complications Information

Most types of thyroid cancer are slow-growing and unlikely to cause severe complications. However, treating thyroid cancer often requires surgery, which can be painful, debilitating, and expensive. Furthermore, thyroid cancer can recur after it is treated, and patients will require lifelong follow-up care.

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Byetta and Thyroid Cancer Complications

Byetta (exenatide), a popular type-2 diabetes medication, could increase a patient’s risk of thyroid cancer. Because the incidence of thyroid cancer is very rare, it is unclear whether certain types of thyroid cancer are more likely to occur among Byetta patients. The complications and severity of thyroid cancer varies widely depending on the type.

Most types of thyroid cancer are slow-growing, and they can be surgically removed and cured before they cause serious complications.

• Anaplastic thyroid cancer: The least common and most aggressive type of thyroid cancer. It is very difficult to control and highly likely to cause complications. However, it only occurs in about 1% of people with thyroid cancer.
• Papillary thyroid cancer: The most common type of thyroid cancer (86% of cases). It grows very slowly and rarely causes serious complications before it is treated and cured.
• Follicular thyroid cancer: This is a slow-growing thyroid cancer that usually does not cause serious complications before it is cured.
• Medullary thyroid cancer: This is a rare, slow-growing type of thyroid cancer that produces abnormally high levels of calcitonin.

Thyroid Hormone Replacement

Most people who are diagnosed with thyroid cancer will have at least a part of their thyroid gland removed. Patients often require supplemental thyroid hormones for the rest of their lives. These hormones maintain hormone levels and suppress the growth of the thyroid gland.

Hypoparathyroidism is a a complication that occurs when the entire thyroid is removed. Normally, the thyroid gland produces a parathyroid hormone, which is vital for maintaining calcium levels in the blood. Without this hormone, the patient may suffer from weakness, muscle cramps, tingling, burning, numbness, and other complications.

Thyroid Cancer Surgery Complications

Some patients with thyroid cancer may need to have their entire thyroid gland removed. This is called a thyroidectomy. It is a very delicate procedure that needs to be performed by an experienced surgeon to reduce the risk of nerve damage in the neck.

Because the thyroid gland is very close to the voice box, there is a possibility of voice box paralysis if the nerves are damaged.

Symptoms of vocal cord paralysis include:

• Changes in tone of voice or speaking ability
• Noisy breathing
• Hoarseness
• Choking or coughing when swallowing food
• Inability to talk loudly
• An abnormal or “breathy” sound to the voice
• The need to take many breaths while speaking
• And more

Recurrence of Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer can come back, even after treatment. Most people who undergo treatment for thyroid cancer will need to have yearly check-ups and blood-tests to look for recurrence of thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer most often recurs in:

• cancerous tissue that is left behind after surgery
• non-cancerous thyroid gland tissue that is not removed
• lymph nodes
• other organs (lungs, bones, lymph nodes)

Do I have a Byetta Lawsuit in Texas?

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