Actor Park So-dam opens up about papillary thyroid cancer: 'I look to nature more often now' [Their Health Aesthetics]

Actor Park So-dam has shared how their daily life changed following surgery for papillary thyroid cancer. They said they came to appreciate nature and the ordinariness of everyday life in ways they had not noticed before.

Park launched a personal YouTube channel called Sodam Sodam PARKSODAM on Tuesday, releasing a travel vlog from a trip to Matsuyama, Japan. Timed to their birthday, the first video showed them traveling alone this summer, taking a slow tour through unfamiliar lodgings, restaurants and streets in the city.

Toward the end of the video, they explained why they started the channel. "I love nature so much," Park said. "I think I looked up at the sky a lot after I got sick." They added, "I think I learned very late how grateful I should be for all of this, what happiness really is. So these days I go out to see a lot of nature, and I want to share that with you."

Park was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer during a routine health checkup in 2021 and underwent surgery. At the time, their agency, Artist Company, said the surgery had been completed on the advice of the medical team and that Park would focus on recovery. Since regaining their health, Park has continued acting and recently played the second daughter, Yeongju, in the film "Gyeongju Travelogue."

The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped endocrine gland located at the front of the neck. It secretes thyroid hormones that regulate metabolism, body temperature and other physiological functions. A malignant tumor that develops in this gland is called thyroid cancer.

According to the National Cancer Information Center, thyroid cancer is classified by tissue type into papillary, follicular, medullary and anaplastic carcinoma, among others. Papillary thyroid cancer, the type Park was diagnosed with, is the most common form of thyroid cancer in South Korea.

Papillary thyroid cancer generally progresses relatively slowly. However, even within this type, treatment and follow-up methods can vary depending on the size and location of the tumor and whether it has spread to lymph nodes. They can also vary depending on the patient's age and overall health.

Early-stage thyroid cancer often shows no clear symptoms. It is sometimes discovered incidentally during a health checkup or a neck ultrasound performed for another reason. When symptoms do appear, they can include a lump felt at the front of the neck, a change in voice, difficulty swallowing, or a feeling of pressure in the neck.

However, these symptoms alone cannot confirm a thyroid cancer diagnosis. If a nodule is found in the thyroid, doctors examine its size and shape via ultrasound. If necessary, they determine whether it is malignant through a fine-needle aspiration biopsy, in which cells are collected with a thin needle.

Doctors determine treatment based on the cancer's type, size and stage, as well as whether it has spread to the lymph nodes or other organs. Surgery is the primary treatment. Depending on the patient's condition, doctors remove either part of the thyroid or the entire gland, sometimes combined with radioactive iodine therapy and thyroid hormone treatment.

Patients who have had their entire thyroid removed can no longer produce enough thyroid hormone on their own and must take hormone replacement medication continuously. Patients who had only part of the gland removed may also be prescribed hormone medication, depending on test results, recurrence risk and the judgment of their medical team. The medication both compensates for the hormone deficiency and, in some cases, helps lower the risk of cancer recurrence.

Regular follow-up monitoring after surgery is also important. According to the National Health Information Portal, operated by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA), patients may undergo blood tests and neck ultrasounds depending on their condition. A whole-body radioactive iodine scan can also be used to check whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes, lungs, bones or other areas.

Thyroid cancer is often described as a cancer with a good prognosis, but the course of the disease is not the same for every patient. Subsequent treatment can vary greatly depending on whether the cancer recurs, where it recurs, and whether it spreads to distant organs. In particular, when the cancer spreads to other organs such as the lungs or bones, the treatment burden increases. The prognosis can also differ from cases where the recurrence is confined to the neck.

After surgery, patients may experience neck pain or a foreign-body sensation, changes in voice, difficulty swallowing and fatigue. Changes in thyroid hormone levels can also occur depending on how much of the gland was removed. If symptoms persist for a long time or worsen, it is best to see a doctor to determine the cause rather than dismiss it as a normal part of recovery.

Lifestyle management should also be tailored to each patient's treatment status. Rather than pushing through strenuous exercise or excessively restricting certain foods in hopes of speeding up recovery, patients should prioritize following their medication regimen. They should also keep to the checkup schedule set by their medical team. Patients undergoing radioactive iodine therapy may be subject to additional dietary restrictions or lifestyle guidelines depending on the timing of treatment.

Park did not disclose the specifics of their treatment or current medical status in the video. Instead, they spoke about how their outlook on everyday life changed after going through a cancer diagnosis and surgery.

In the video's description, they wrote, "These days, I sometimes look up at the wide sky, take a deep breath, and find myself thinking about all sorts of things." The sky, nature and ordinary days that Park once took for granted have come to carry a slightly different meaning after going through the illness.