how fast can goiters grow and how likely are they to be canceres

[sassy757]

I have an enlarged tyroid I have done a biopsy and we thought we had only one goiter but they I guess I have 3 and the one I guess it not cancerous and the others no cells found, blood work is always fine and I get the impression that its still growing and feeling a little weid in my neck is this a reason to worry??????   and in a few weeks Im going for another ultrasound to see how everything is and blood work.......my mean concern is.......is this thing going to keep growing and of course I always worry of cancer :(  what to do what to do very frustrating I don't think this thing will ever shrink

[dawnangela]

I am guessing you mean you have a goiter with three nodules.Do you mean by no cells found you have had a FNA?, this is the way to test for cancer usually.Have you been put on any medication?They can keep growing yes, you need to keep on top of this... Dawn

[loonette]

Hi,
From another post I made...
I had a goiter for several years (2004) before it's removal in 2009.  It was a watch and see approach.  After the initial fine needle biopsy to rule out cancer, I was told well it is so large you can't biopsy everything.  Great.  Why did I really have it done in the first place! It came back benign.  So, I didn't have surgery back then.  I took levoxyl for hypothyroidism and to keep goiter down.  It wouldn't stay down and I noticed it got larger in 2008 (another biopsy) which again showed benign multinodular goiter and Hashimoto diagnosis made then.  It was playing around with right side growing/left side growing so a fine needle biopsy did not help then since it came back benign.  

Finally, a carotid ultrasound by Primary doc because of dizziness, showed goiter enlarged.  Went back to endo, got a surgery referral, had TT (Hashimoto's was going to destroy it anyway) in July 09 and found papillary carcinoma T2.  

In my case, I did not have breathing difficulty or swallowing issues which is really bizarre.  In those cases it is clear to have it removed if the size of it is an issue.  With meds, if it doesn't remain the same or shrink, then it is time to look at why.  A friend of mine's goiter went down with medication.  Mine obviously didn't.  People live with goiter all the time, just be aware if it continues to enlarge that there is a problem. Also, monitor your own goiter.  There were a couple of years there that I was confident of the benign nature of the last fnas but I should have been doing my own neck checks to be sure that goiter was not enlarging or insist on another ultrasound.  Other things became a focus rather than my health.  Keep on top of it.