A young medical student named Rohan, in his second year at the Ron-Virtua College of Osteopathic Medicine in New Jersey, spoke candidly to CNN about his unexpected health journey. At 27, Rohan, hailing from Ukiah, California, discovered a considerable scar on his neck, resulting from an operation where his entire thyroid gland was removed.
Rohan mentioned that the discovery took place during an ultrasound course, which raised suspicions of thyroid cancer. On the 6th of December, he underwent surgery to remove his thyroid.
In November 2022, a first-year medical student named Luohan noticed something unusual during her medical training at the same institution. She and her peers were learning how to use ultrasound to examine the thyroid gland.
"We practiced lying on the bed and working in small groups. I went up on the bed, and my friend held the ultrasound wand high and we examined my thyroid," Luohan recalled. "It seemed a bit lumpy, and I remembered thinking, ‘It doesn't look like the thyroids we saw in the videos before this course’.”
A teacher identified the lump and suggested Luohan consult her family doctor for a thorough examination. However, Luohan was concerned about losing her health insurance coverage as she approached her 26th birthday.
"I had a plan for getting health insurance in New Jersey, but I wasn't sure how long it would take," Rohan admitted.
Despite the concerns, Luohan’s doctors in California suggested waiting for a blood test and a more thorough examination for her thyroid before proceeding with diagnostic imaging, once she was insured again.
Meanwhile, Rohan continued to excel in her studies, putting her health concerns aside. Ultimately, she was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer, one of the most common and treatable forms of the disease. Luohan emphasized that there was no history of thyroid cancer in her family.
"I don't think my doctor wanted me to wait a whole year, but that's what I ended up doing," Luohan shared.
After a few months, Luohan finally received an ultrasound examination, following her acquisition of health insurance and a new family doctor. She learned that she had multiple thyroid nodules that looked like cancer and had apparently metastasized to the lymph nodes in her neck.
Her fears were confirmed.
"Even in that moment, I thought, 'Okay, it's thyroid cancer, and normally people don't die from thyroid cancer,'" Rohan said, "But I didn't really think about, 'What if it moves? What if it spreads to other parts of my body?'”
After quickly scheduling a biopsy with the help of her university's medical faculty, Luohan expressed gratitude for the prompt responses and answers that would soon come her way. Though the biopsy confirmed the possibility of cancer, she arranged a surgical procedure with an experienced endocrine surgeon.
"She was fantastic, and she accommodated my schedule so I could take a break without falling behind, but still catch up when I was ready," Rohan expressed gratitude.
Although she cannot yet say that she's completely cancer-free, Luohan must continue taking thyroid hormone replacement medication to compensate for the missing gland.
"I don't think anyone's going to build up my hopes," she said. "When they performed a lateral neck dissection to remove the cancer from my lymph nodes, they found more than they'd expected."
Rohan believes her personal experience with thyroid cancer will shape her future approach as a medical practitioner.
"I think it will make me more empathetic," she said. "I think it's made me a more compassionate person, and it's definitely made me aspire to be a better doctor in the future."
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Enrichment: An early diagnosis of thyroid cancer through ultrasound can significantly impact both personal health and future medical practice for first-year medical students.
Personal Health
Awareness and regular screenings, particularly if there's a family history of thyroid cancer or other risk factors, can encourage early detection and proactive health management. Understanding risk factors for thyroid cancer, such as radiation exposure, autoimmune thyroiditis, and genetic predispositions, can help medical students prioritize preventive measures.
Medical Practice
- Diagnostic Accuracy: Mastering advanced ultrasound techniques, like multimodal ultrasound, can enhance diagnostic skills. Medical students will be better at distinguishing between benign and malignant thyroid nodules, enabling earlier and more targeted interventions.
- Decision-Making: Knowledge of active surveillance strategies for low-risk thyroid cancers offers a sound foundation for informed decision-making when dealing with patients who have thyroid nodules.
- AI Integration: Integrating artificial intelligence (AI) with ultrasound can further improve diagnostic accuracy and efficiency, ultimately leading to more precise patient care recommendations.
- Patient Outcomes: Timely detection and accurate diagnosis of thyroid cancer can significantly improve patient outcomes, reducing the likelihood of aggressive treatments and improving survival rates.
