Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer develops in your thyroid, a small, butterfly-shaped gland at the base of your neck. This gland produces hormones that regulate your metabolism (how your body uses energy). Thyroid hormones also help control your body temperature, blood pressure and heart rate. Thyroid cancer, a type of endocrine cancer, is generally highly treatable, with an excellent cure rate.

How common is thyroid cancer?

Close to 53,000 Americans receive a thyroid cancer diagnosis every year. Treatments for most thyroid cancers are very successful. Still, about 2,000 people die from the disease every year.

Women and people assigned female at birth (AFAB) are three times more likely to get thyroid cancer compared to men and people assigned male at birth (AMAB). The disease is commonly diagnosed in women and people AFAB in their 40s and 50s and men and people AMAB in their 60s and 70s. Even children can develop the disease.

What are the types of thyroid cancer?

Healthcare providers classify thyroid cancer based on the type of cells from which the cancer grows. Types of thyroid cancer include:

• Papillary: Up to 80% of all thyroid cancers are papillary. This cancer type grows slowly. Although papillary thyroid cancer often spreads to lymph nodes in your neck, the disease responds very well to treatment. Papillary thyroid cancer is highly curable and rarely fatal.
• Follicular: Follicular thyroid cancer accounts for up to 15% of thyroid cancer diagnoses. This cancer is more likely to spread to your bones and organs, like your lungs. Metastatic cancer (cancer that spreads) may be more challenging to treat.
• Medullary: About 2% of thyroid cancers are medullary. A quarter of people with medullary thyroid cancer have a family history of the disease. A faulty gene (genetic mutation) may be to blame.
• Anaplastic: This aggressive thyroid cancer is the hardest type to treat. It can grow quickly and often spreads into surrounding tissue and other parts of your body. This rare cancer type accounts for about 2% of thyroid cancer diagnoses.

What are the thyroid cancer stages?

Healthcare providers use a staging system to determine if and how far thyroid cancer has spread. Generally, when cancer cells in your thyroid metastasize, they spread to your nearby structures and lymph nodes first. After that, the cancer can spread to distant lymph nodes, organs and bones.

Thyroid cancer stages range from 1 (I) to 4 (IV). In simple terms, the higher the number, the more the cancer has spread. To learn more about cancer staging and how it applies to your specific diagnosis, talk to your healthcare provider.