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
[change | change source]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 |
References
[change | change source]- ↑ "Thyroid Cancer". Cleveland Clinic Online, www.my.clevelandclinic.org. Cleveland Clinic. August 20, 2015. Retrieved December 15, 2015.
