Thyroid cancer is a type of cancer that originates in the thyroid gland, a small butterfly-shaped gland in the front of the neck. The American Cancer Society estimates that more than 44,000 Americans will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer in 2024 alone.
While the thyroid is small, it is responsible for producing hormones that regulate your metabolism, which is how your body uses energy, along with body temperature, blood pressure, and heart rate. Thyroid cancer can disrupt the normal function of this gland.
There are three primary types of thyroid cancer:
- Anaplastic thyroid cancer, also called undifferentiated carcinoma, is rare, representing only 2 percent of all thyroid cancers. This type of cancer usually spreads quickly and can be difficult to treat.
- Differentiated thyroid cancers are by far the most common type of thyroid cancer. There are several different forms of differentiated thyroid cancers, including papillary cancer, follicular cancer, and Hurthle cell cancer, which all develop from thyroid follicular cells.
- Medullary thyroid carcinoma accounts for around 4 percent of all thyroid cancers. This form of thyroid cancer originates in the C cells of the thyroid gland, which are responsible for making a hormone called calcitonin.
Approximately 4 percent of all thyroid cancers are thyroid lymphomas, thyroid sarcomas, and other rare tumors.
Thyroid cancer is most common in women, affecting three times more women than men. It’s also more commonly diagnosed at younger ages than other types of cancer, with an average age at diagnosis of 51.
Though it affects thousands of people in the United States each year, this type of endocrine cancer is usually quite treatable and curable in many cases.
What causes thyroid cancer?
Researchers aren’t certain why some cells in the thyroid become cancerous, but certain factors can increase a person’s risk. Thyroid cancer risk factors include:
- Enlarged thyroid
- Family history of thyroid disease or thyroid cancer
- Gene mutations related to endocrine diseases
- Low iodine intake, which is more common in other countries
- Radiation exposure, especially to the head and neck
- Thyroiditis, which is an inflammation of the thyroid gland
Certain types of thyroid cancer have a particularly strong connection with family medical history. Medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), for example, has two types—sporadic MTC and familial MTC. The latter is responsible for around 20 percent of all medullary thyroid carcinoma and often develops during childhood.
What are the signs and symptoms of thyroid cancer?
A thyroid nodule, which is a growth or lump in the neck, is a common sign of thyroid cancer, but it isn’t always a sign of cancer. In fact, approximately 90 percent of thyroid nodules are noncancerous.
Other thyroid cancer symptoms include:
- Difficulty breathing
- Difficulty swallowing
- Hoarseness or a loss of voice
- Neck swelling
- Pain in the front of the neck
- Persistent, unexplained cough
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
If thyroid cancer spreads to other parts of the body, it can cause symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, and unexpected weight loss.
How is thyroid cancer diagnosed?
If you’re experiencing any symptoms of thyroid cancer, several different tools may be used to make a diagnosis:
- Blood testing to determine whether the thyroid is functioning properly
- Biopsy of cells in the thyroid and lymph nodes
- Imaging, such as CT scans, ultrasound, or PET scans
- Radioactive iodine scan, which is a test to detect thyroid cancer
Tests such as chest X-rays or MRI scans may be used to determine whether thyroid cancer has spread into other parts of the body.
Thyroid Cancer Treatment at NGMC
There are many different therapies for treating thyroid cancer. If you are diagnosed with the disease, your care team will recommend a treatment plan based on a number of factors, including the specific type of cancer you have and if it has spread.
urgery is the most common thyroid cancer treatment for all types of thyroid cancer except certain anaplastic thyroid tumors. There are multiple procedures that may be used:
- Lobectomy removes the lobe of the thyroid containing the cancer and, typically, the isthmus, which is the portion of the thyroid gland between the left and right lobes.
- Near-total thyroidectomy removes most of the thyroid gland.
- Total thyroidectomy removes all of the thyroid gland.
If nearby lymph nodes are found to be cancerous, they will also be removed during the procedure to remove part or all of the thyroid.
Radiation therapy is used to kill cancer cells and stop them from growing. During external beam radiation therapy, a focused beam of radiation is delivered to the thyroid from a machine outside the body.
The thyroid gland absorbs most of the iodine in the body. Because of that, radioactive iodine therapy (radioiodine) is often used in treating thyroid cancer.
During radioactive iodine therapy, you swallow a pill or liquid containing radioactive iodine, which then shrinks and destroys the diseased thyroid gland and any thyroid cancer cells. Since the thyroid gland absorbs nearly all iodine, other parts of the body are only exposed to a minimal amount of radiation.
During radioactive iodine therapy, you swallow a pill or liquid containing radioactive iodine, which then shrinks and destroys the diseased thyroid gland and any thyroid cancer cells. Since the thyroid gland absorbs nearly all iodine, other parts of the body are only exposed to a minimal amount of radiation.
In addition to these primary types of thyroid cancer treatment, chemotherapy or targeted therapy may be used to treat the disease in rare cases.
At NGMC, we’re committed to advancing research into new ways to diagnose and treat thyroid cancer. We can help patients access clinical trials that provide them with these innovative treatment options. Learn more about the current clinical trials we are participating in.
Thyroid cancer treatment can lead to a number of side effects, including difficulty swallowing, hoarseness, and weakness. We offer specialized rehabilitation services to meet the unique needs of patients undergoing cancer treatment.
Managing the everyday to-dos associated with a cancer diagnosis and treatment can quickly become overwhelming. Our team of nurse navigators is here to help you navigate care from your initial diagnosis through treatment and beyond. Reach out to our patient navigation program today to connect with a navigator.
Choose NGMC for Thyroid Cancer Care
The thyroid is a small gland, but when it’s affected by disease, it can have a big impact on your health. If you’ve been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, our team of multidisciplinary providers at NGMC is here to help. We have years of experience in treating the different types of thyroid cancers, and we provide a full spectrum of treatment options to help eradicate the cancer and keep it from recurring.
For more information about cancer care at NGMC or to learn about support groups, please call 770-219-8815.