A goiter is an enlargement of the thyroid gland. It is not cancer.
See also:
Simple goiter
There are different kinds of goiters. A simple goiter can occur for no known reason, or when the thyroid gland is not able to produce enough thyroid hormone to meet the body's needs. The thyroid gland makes up for this by becoming larger.
There are two types of simple goiter:
Source: ADAM Encyclopedia
Colloid nodular goiter is the enlargement of an otherwise normal thyroid gland. See also: Goiter Alternative Names Endemic... Read more »
Source: ADAM Encyclopedia
Toxic nodular goiter involves an enlarged thyroid gland that contains a small rounded growth or growths called nodules. These nodules produce too... Read more »
Source: ADAM Encyclopedia
Diet - iodine Side Effects Lack of enoughiodine (deficiency) may occur in places that have iodine-poor soil. Many months of iodine... Read more »
Source: HealthCentral Encyclopedia
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease characterized by a metabolic imbalance resulting from overproduction of thyroid hormones (thyrotoxicosis).It... Read more »
Source: HealthCentral Encyclopedia
Thyroidectomy is the surgical removal of the thyroid gland, performed for colloid goiter, tumors, or hyperthyroidism that does not respond to iodine... Read more »