What Is Thyroid Cancer?
What Is Thyroid Cancer?
Your thyroid is a gland located in the lower front of your neck. It controls your metabolism, how you produce heat, and how you use energy and oxygen. Thyroid cancer starts in the thyroid and develops when there are changes to the abnormal cells in that gland. But it is one of the most treatable cancers if you catch it early.
Thyroid Cancer Types
The main types of thyroid cancer are papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic. Some types of thyroid cancer are well-differentiated, and others are undifferentiated. Papillary and follicular are well-differentiated, meaning they grow slowly. Medullary and anaplastic are undifferentiated cancers because they spread quickly.
Papillary Thyroid Cancer
Most people with thyroid cancer have papillary thyroid cancer, which makes up about 80% of cases. It's usually slow-growing but often spreads to the lymph nodes in your neck. Even if it spreads, there's still a strong chance of recovery with treatment. In fact, you're 99.5% as likely to be alive in five years as someone who didn't have it.
Follicular Thyroid Cancer
About 10%-15% of people with thyroid cancer in the U.S. have follicular thyroid cancer. This kind is more common in White people than in Black people. It can spread into your lymph nodes and is more likely to spread into your blood vessels than papillary thyroid cancer. But it is still highly treatable, especially if your doctor catches it early.
Medullary Thyroid Cancer
Only about 4% of people with thyroid cancer have medullary thyroid cancer. Doctors often catch it early because it produces a hormone called calcitonin, which appears in blood test results. Family screening and genetic counseling can also help find it early. While slightly less treatable than papillary and follicular thyroid cancer, its outlook is generally good.
Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer
Anaplastic thyroid cancer has the lowest chance of survival, but it only makes up about 2% of all thyroid cancer cases. It is the rarest, most severe, and hardest-to-treat type. Since it aggressively spreads to other body parts, catching and treating it early are important for recovery. Most thyroid cancers are found early when people go to their doctors about a swelling in their neck.