Hyderabad: Quick diagnosis of thyroid cancer saves patients life

Hyderabad: A 27-year-old man Ramulu (name changed) from Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh was successfully diagnosed with thyroid cancer at Telehealth enabled primary healthcare centre in that district.

Timely diagnosis allowed the man to get treatment in the early stage of the disease, thereby saving his life.

Thyroid cancer, which is a relatively common disease, is often diagnosed late because of several factors. Ramulu turned out to be fortunate in this regard. On November 18, 2019, he reported to a primary healthcare centre managed by Apollo TeleHealth with a condition of pain in the neck region with a small mass on the right side of the neck.

The Medical Officer initially suspected the condition to be Thyroglossal Cyst and advised the patient to undergo blood investigations to check for inflammatory markers and any other anomaly.

Later Ultrasonography (USG) and Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology (FNAC) tests were also done. FNAC suggested the condition to be Neoplasm Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma, which is the most common form of thyroid cancer with a high cure rate if treated at an early stage.

The reports were immediately sent to Apollo specialists through telehealth facilities. He received timely treatment at a cancer facility in Bengaluru and is responding well to treatment now.