Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer begins in the thyroid, a gland in the neck that makes hormones to regulate heart rate, energy level and weight. Most thyroid cancers are treatable, making the disease one of the least deadly cancers.
About Thyroid Cancer
There are many types of thyroid cancer. The major types are papillary thyroid cancer, follicular thyroid cancer, medullary thyroid cancer, and anaplastic thyroid cancer.
Papillary and Follicular Thyroid Cancers
Papillary thyroid cancer and follicular thyroid cancer both begin in the follicular cells. The follicular cells make thyroid hormone to control heart rate, body temperature, blood pressure and metabolism. Most people (80-90 percent) diagnosed with thyroid cancer have this form of the disease.
Medullary Thyroid Cancer
This less common form of thyroid cancer begins in the C cells, which make the hormone, calcitonin, to regulate the amount of calcium in the body.
Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer
Anaplastic thyroid cancer is the least common form of the disease. It also begins in the follicular cells. It can grow and can spread quickly.
Who’s at Risk?
The average diagnosis age for thyroid cancer is younger than the average diagnosis age of many other types of cancer. Most people with the disease learn they have the cancer after the age of 45. It is more common in women. Approximately 25,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed each year, compared to 8,000 men.
Risk Factors
The following risk factors may increase the chance of thyroid cancer:
- High levels of radiation: Between 1920 and 1950, high-dose x-rays were used to treat childhood problems of the head and neck. Exposure to radioactive fallout from atomic weapon testing or nuclear accidents also increases the risk.
- Diet low in iodine: Some studies show that not having enough iodine in the diet can increase the chance of thyroid cancer. In the U.S., iodine is added to table salt.
- Family history: An inherited change to the RET gene. Other genetic conditions such as Gardner syndrome and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) increase the risk.
Treatment
Surgery is the most common treatment for thyroid cancer. A total thyroidectomy may be performed to remove the entire thyroid and nearby lymph nodes. A lobectomy involves removing just the part of the thyroid, or the lobe, that is cancerous.
Iodine 131 is a type of radioactive pharmaceutical used to treat thyroid cancer. Iodine 131 is designed specifically to travel through the body to seek out and kill thyroid cancer cells that may have spread or been left behind after surgery.
Other treatment options include hormonal therapy, external beam radiation and chemotherapy.
Some information on this page is provided by the National Cancer Institute and the American Cancer Society.