Korean actress Park So-dam, 30, who starred in the Academy Award Best Picture “Parasite,” has been diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer.
According to his agency, Artist Company, Park So-dam found out she has cancer during a health examination.
“Actress Park So-dam was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer during a regular health checkup and has completed surgery according to the opinion of the medical staff,” the agency said.
She is starring in the upcoming film “Special Cargo,” and her agency added, “As the long-awaited 'Special Cargois about to be released, actress Park So-dam is also very sorry for not being able to be with the fans who have waited and supported them.”
“Actress Park So-dam is unable to participate in the promotional activities of ‘Special Cargo’ but is supporting the release of ‘Special Cargo.' Thank you once again to all the people who support ‘Special Cargo’ and actor Park So-dam, and to the actors and crew of ‘Special Cargo’ who are overcoming difficult situations together,” according to the agency.
Artist Company said “actor Park So-dam will focus on her recovery so that she can greet you with a healthy image in the future, and Artist Company, his agency, will also do his best to help the actor recover her health.”
According to the US National Cancer Institute (NCI), papillary thyroid cancer is a “cancer that forms in follicular cells in the thyroid and grows in small finger-like shapes. It grows slowly, is more common in women than in men, and often occurs before age 45. It is the most common type of thyroid cancer.”
“Well-differentiated tumors (papillary thyroid cancer and follicular thyroid cancer) can be treated and can usually be cured,” according to the NCI website.
It added, “Age, gender, and being exposed to radiation can affect the risk of thyroid cancer. Anything that increases your risk of getting a disease is called a risk factor. Having a risk factor does not mean that you will get cancer; not having risk factors doesn’t mean that you will not get cancer. Talk with your doctor if you think you may be at risk.”
According to the NCI, risk factors for thyroid cancer include the following:
- Being between 25 and 65 years old.
- Being female.
- Being exposed to radiation to the head and neck as an infant or child or being exposed to radioactive fallout. The cancer may occur as soon as 5 years after exposure.
- Having a history of goiter (enlarged thyroid).
- Having a family history of thyroid disease or thyroid cancer.
- Having certain genetic conditions such as familial medullary thyroid cancer (FMTC), multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A syndrome (MEN2A), or multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B syndrome (MEN2B).
- Being Asian.
Stages are used to describe thyroid cancer based on the type of thyroid cancer and the age of the patient :
Papillary and follicular thyroid cancer in patients younger than 55 years
"Stage I: In stage I papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, the tumor is any size and may have spread to nearby tissues and lymph nodes. Cancer has not spread to other parts of the body.
"Stage II: In stage II papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, the tumor is any size and cancer may have spread to nearby tissues and lymph nodes. Cancer has spread from the thyroid to other parts of the body, such as the lungs or bones."
“Thyroid cancer can recur (come back) after it has been treated. The cancer may come back in the thyroid or in other parts of the body,” it said.