A STUDY TO ASSESS THE KNOWLEDGE REGARDING THYROID CANCER AMONG ADULTS IN A SELECTED COMMUNITY AT KOLLAM

Aswathy S. Kumar, Bincy Varghese*, Blessy Sabu, Chinchumol C., Chinju Francis and Amala L.

.

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Thyroid cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women in the USA, and an estimated over 62,
000 new cases occurred in men and women in 2015. The incidence continues to rise worldwide. Differentiated
thyroid cancer is the most frequent subtype of thyroid cancer and in most patients the standard treatment (surgery
followed by either radioactive iodine or observation) is effective. Patients with other, more rare subtypes of thyroid
cancer-medullary and anaplastic-are ideally treated by physicians with experience managing these malignancies.
Targeted treatments that are approved for differentiated and medullary thyroid cancers have prolonged progressionfree
survival, but these drugs are not curative and therefore are reserved for patients with progressive or
symptomatic disease. Materials and Methods: Quantitative approach with descriptive Non-experimental research
design was used in this study. The study was conducted in a selected Community at Kollam, Kerala. The target
population was adults in selected community. The Non-probability convenient sampling technique was used to
collect data. Formal permission was taken by institutional ethics committee and consent taken from adults in
selected community at Kollam and data were collected through a knowledge questionnaire. The tool which
consisted of Demographic Proforma and knowledge related to Thyroid cancer (general knowledge, causes, signs
and symptoms, diagnostic measures, treatment, and its management).The data were analyzed using descriptive and
inferential statistics. Result: The study revealed that 16% of the adults had poor knowledge, 69% had moderate
knowledge and 15% had good knowledge. There was no significant association between knowledge and
demographic variables like age, sex, diet, habits, occupation and source of information at 0.05 level of significance.
Conclusion: Thyroid cancer is the fifth most common cancer in women in the USA, and an estimated over 62, 000
new cases occurred in men and women in 2015. The incidence continues to rise worldwide. The study found that
16% of the adults had poor knowledge, 69% had moderate knowledge, and 15% had good knowledge regarding
thyroid cancer among 100 participants.

Keywords: Assess knowledge, thyroid cancer and adults.