33 Years Have Passed Since The Disaster, Its Impact Continues
Stating that there has been an increase in thyroid cancer years after the nuclear explosion that occurred in Chernobyl in 1986 and adversely affected the region, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bülent Dinç announced that they restored 6 female patients with thyroid cancer to health with the method of surgery through the mouth.
İçindekiler
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bülent Dinç from the General Surgery Clinic of Antalya Training and Research Hospital stated that thyroid cancer is seen in 20 percent of women and 5 percent of men in Turkey and said, “One of the biggest reasons for this is the accident that occurred in Chernobyl in 1986. It is thought that high radiation exposure increases the frequency of thyroid cancer 20-30 years later," he said. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinç said that the reason for the increase in thyroid cancers is that it can be diagnosed more easily with the widespread use of ultrasound devices and patients who were not previously noticed can now be diagnosed.
Scarless Surgery Method
Noting that the treatment of thyroid cancers is surgery, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinç said, “This surgery is performed openly in our country as it is in the world. Our colleagues prefer to make a larger incision in the neck in a patient with thyroid cancer apart from normal thyroid diseases. But we emphasize that this surgery can be performed with a scarless method, especially because it is frequently seen in women," he said.
Stating that they have been performing completely scarless surgery through the mouth with the method they started in 2018, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinç said, “Because we use specially advanced instruments in this surgery, we can see the tissues twice as large. Thus, it becomes easier for us to see the nerve going to the vocal cords and the parathyroid glands. With this surgery, we also protect against the most feared complication of hoarseness," he said.
Not Applied To Every Patient
Stating that this surgery performed through the mouth is applied not only in thyroid cancer but also in those who have a 5-centimeter nodule in the thyroid gland, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinç said, “If there is suspicion of cancer, we do not recommend this surgery for nodules over 2 centimeters. We also do not prefer it in patients who have previously received radiation to the neck or have undergone surgery. It is generally a method we apply in early diagnosis," he said.
Early Diagnosis Is Important
Emphasizing the importance of early diagnosis in thyroid cancer as in other cancers, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Bülent Dinç said, “Just as awareness was created in breast cancer in women, and women do not neglect their annual check-ups, they should also undergo routine doctor check-ups in thyroid cancer in this way," he said.
6 Female Thyroid Patients Had Surgery In 6 Days
Stating that they have applied this scarless surgery through the mouth to 36 patients so far, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Dinç said, “Half of these patients were thyroid cancer patients. We now perform this surgery, which we previously performed at Kepez State Hospital, at Antalya Training and Research Hospital. In the last 6 days, we successfully performed this surgery on 6 of our female patients with thyroid cancer," he said.
