Thyroid cancer
Thyroid cancer is cancer in the thyroid gland. Doctors can find thyroid cancer by checking for swelling in the neck, blood tests, special scans, or taking a biopsy.
Types
There are four types of thyroid cancer:[1]
| Type of Thyroid Cancer: | This Type Makes Up... | Does it Grow Slowly or Quickly? | Can it Metastasize (Spread)? | How Do People Do with Treatment? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Papillary | 70% of all thyroid cancers | Slowly | Yes, but not quickly | People do well with treatment; patients under 45 rarely die from papillary thyroid cancer |
| Follicular | 10-15% of all thyroid cancers | Slowly | Yes, through the bloodstream and into other organs, like the lungs | People do well with treatment; patients under 45 rarely die from follicular thyroid cancer |
| Medullary | 4% of all thyroid cancers | Usually slowly | Yes, early on | People do well if the cancer is only in the thyroid gland, but not as well if it has spread to other body parts |
| Anaplastic | 2% of all thyroid cancers | Quickest of all thyroid cancers | Yes, very quickly |
Thyroid Cancer Media
Micrograph of a lymph node with papillary thyroid carcinoma
Pie chart of thyroid cancer types by incidence.
Diagram showing stage M1 thyroid cancer.
Diagram showing stage N1a thyroid cancer.
Diagram showing stage N1b thyroid cancer.
Diagram showing stage T1a thyroid cancer.
Diagram showing stage T1b thyroid cancer.
Diagram showing stage T2 thyroid cancer.
Diagram showing stage T3 thyroid cancer.
Diagram showing stage T4a thyroid cancer.
References
- ↑ "Thyroid Cancer". Cleveland Clinic Online, www.my.clevelandclinic.org. Cleveland Clinic. August 20, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.