News anchor undergoes surgery for thyroid cancer after viewer spotted lump

Deborah Norville is taking time off from her duties on “Inside Edition” to undergo surgery to remove a cancerous nodule from her thyroid.

The 60-year-old long-standing anchor of the daily news program shared the news in a YouTube video, revealing it was one eagle-eyed fan who warned her of the lump years ago.

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“We live in a world of ‘See something, say something’ and I’m really glad we do,” Norville began. “When you work on television, viewers comment on everything, the hair, your make-up, the dress you’re wearing. A long time ago an ‘Inside Edition’ viewer reached out to say she had seen something on my neck; a lump.”

The former CBS News correspondent says she had never noticed the lump herself, but went to doctors who assured her it was nothing but a thyroid nodule.

“For years it was nothing, until recently it was something,” she shared. “The doctor says it’s a very localized form of cancer… There will be no chemo, I’m told no radiation but I will have surgery and I’ll be away for a bit.”

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What does the thyroid do?

The thyroid gland, located at the front of the neck that produces hormones to regulate metabolism, as well as a number of body functions including digestion, muscle control, brain development and mood maintenance.

Growths or tumours on the thyroid, often referred to as nodules are often non-cancerous, and most common in older adults. However, according to the National Cancer Institute, thyroid cancer is the 12th most common form of cancer, with over 53,000 new cases diagnosed in the United States each year. More commonly found in women, cancer rates regarding thyroid cancer have tripled in the past 30 years thanks to the ability to detect thyroid nodules through ultrasound.

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Symptoms

Thyroid cancer symptoms include a lump in the neck which can grow, swelling and neck pain radiating to the ears, constant coughing, trouble swallowing or trouble breathing.

Approximately 80 per cent of thyroid cancers are considered papillary and grow slowly. If left undetected it can easily spread to the lymph nodes and other parts of the body.

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