Explaining Tipper's Surgery

Tipper Gore, the vice president's wife, was recovering from surgery Wednesday morning. Mrs. Gore underwent a procedure to remove a nodule from her thyroid gland. Doctors will test the growth over the next week to determine if it's cancerous.

Mrs. Gore's office describes the operation as a "precautionary measure." What might Mrs. Gore expect in the days ahead? CBS News Health Correspondent Dr. Emily Senay reports.

A thyroid nodule is an abnormal growth of cells on the thyroid gland, which is a small gland in your throat that helps regulates your body's metabolism.

In Mrs. Gore's case, the condition was detected during a routine physical exam. Doctors, during a typical medical exam, check the thyroid. (It's what they're doing when they put their hands on your neck and ask you to swallow.) They removed the nodule because it's the only way to know for sure if it contains cancer cells. They will take it to a lab and, in about a week, they will know if it is cancerous.

The chances of a cancer diagnosis are slim. About 90 percent of thyroid nodules are benign. Also, such growths are so common that if you performed ultrasounds, you'd find about 30 percent of the population has thyroid nodules.

If it is cancer, it is not a death sentence, because thyroid cancer is highly treatable. Most cases are treated through surgery, radioactive iodine, and sometimes radiation to the thyroid along with chemotherapy.
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