SpankyMcFarland Posted May 24, 2016 Report Posted May 24, 2016 (edited) Most good news stories in cancer come from new treatments. Recently, however, pathologists have decided that one cancer isn't as bad as they thought. The tumor in question is one type of follicular variant papillary carcinoma of thyroid (EFVPTC). In the authors' opinion, it should no longer be called carcinoma. The authors suggest another long-winded term to replace the old one - NIFTP or non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features. Over the past thirty years, this tumour type has seen a massive increase in incidence because of more radiology imaging of the gland and subsequent biopsies, but overall mortality has not increased. Many people live for decades unaware they have such a tumor in their thyroid and die of other causes. http://oncology.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2513250 http://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/15/health/thyroid-tumor-cancer-reclassification.html?_r=0 The usual caveats apply. The findings will have to be confirmed and it will be a while before any official change happens. Some thyroid tumors are highly malignant. One message from all this is that the term 'cancer' can be quite misleading because it covers such a diverse group of disorders. I would like to see 'neoplastic disease' replacing it which is I think more accurate. One could then divide the condition into the following categories: mild, moderate or severe; and localized or generalized. http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/22/health/cancer-by-any-other-name-would-not-be-as-terrifying.html?version=meter+at+2&contentId=&mediaId=&referrer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mapleleafweb.com%2Fforums%2Ftopic%2F25797-a-cancer-gets-a-downgrade%2F%3Fp%3D1161703&priority=true&action=click&contentCollection=Health&module=RelatedCoverage®ion=EndOfArticle&pgtype=article I see that at the University of Pittsburgh they are going to go back through the files and inform everyone who has one of these lesions that they do not have cancer and no longer require follow-up. That will be quite the job if done across the world. Edited May 25, 2016 by SpankyMcFarland Quote ‘How small we make our worlds. Gather them in, tighten them up into little castles of fear.’
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