Thyroid Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)
[Back to top]Description
[Back to top]What is thyroid cancer?
Thyroid cancer is a disease in which cancer (malignant) cells are found
in the tissues of the thyroid gland. The thyroid gland is at the base of the
throat. It has two lobes, one on the right side and one on the left. The
thyroid gland makes important hormones that help the body function normally.
Certain factors may increase the risk of developing thyroid cancer.
- Thyroid cancer occurs more often in people between the ages of 25 and 65 years.
- People who have been exposed to radiation or received radiation treatments to the head and neck during infancy or childhood have a greater chance of developing thyroid cancer. The cancer may occur as early as 5 years after exposure or may occur 20 or more years later.
- People who have had goiter (enlarged thyroid) or a family history of thyroid disease have an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer.
- Thyroid cancer is more common in women than in men.
- Asian people have an increased risk of developing thyroid cancer.
A doctor should be seen if there is a lump or swelling in the front of the neck
or in other parts of the neck.
If there are symptoms, a doctor will feel the patient’s thyroid and check for
lumps in the neck. The doctor may order blood tests and special scans to see
whether a lump in the thyroid is making too many hormones. The doctor may want
to take a small amount of tissue from the thyroid. This is called a biopsy.
To do this, a small needle is inserted into the thyroid at the base of the
throat and some tissue is drawn out. The tissue is then looked at
under a microscope to see whether it contains cancer.
There are four main types of thyroid cancer (based on how the cancer
cells look under a microscope):
Some types of thyroid cancer grow faster than others. The chance of recovery (prognosis) depends on the type of
thyroid cancer, whether it is in the thyroid only or has spread to
other parts of the body (stage), and the patient’s age and overall health.
The prognosis is better for patients younger than 40 years who have cancer that has not spread beyond the thyroid.
The genes in our cells carry the hereditary information from our parents. An
abnormal gene has been found in patients with some forms of thyroid cancer. If
medullary thyroid cancer is found, the patient may have been born with a
certain abnormal gene which may have led to the cancer. Family members may
have also inherited this abnormal gene. Tests have been developed to determine
who has the genetic defect long before any cancer appears. It is important
that the patient and his or her family members (children, grandchildren,
parents, brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews) see a doctor about tests that
will show if the abnormal gene is present. These tests are confidential and
can help the doctor help patients. Family members, including young children,
who don’t have cancer, but do have this abnormal gene, may reduce the chance of
developing medullary thyroid cancer by having surgery to safely remove the
thyroid gland (thyroidectomy).
[Back to top]Stage Explanation
[Back to top]Stages of thyroid cancer
Once thyroid cancer is found (diagnosed), more tests will be done to
find out if cancercells have spread to other parts of the body. This is
called staging. A doctor needs to know the stage of the disease to plan
treatment.
[Back to top]Papillary and follicular thyroid cancer
The following stages are used for papillary and follicular thyroid cancer:
Stage I
- In patients younger than 45 years, cancer may have spread within the neck or upper chest and/or to nearby lymph nodes but not to other parts of the body.
- In patients aged 45 years and older, the tumor is 2 centimeters (about ¾ inch) or smaller and in the thyroid only.
Stage II
- In patients younger than 45 years, the cancer has spread to distant parts of the body, such as the lung or bone, and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes.
- In patients aged 45 years and older, the tumor is larger than 2 centimeters but not larger than 4 centimeters (between ¾ and 1½ inches) in the thyroid only.
Stage III
The cancer is found in patients aged 45 years or older. The tumor either:
Stage IVA
The cancer is found in patients aged 45 years or older. The tumor may be any size and has spread within the neck and/or to lymph nodes in the neck or upper chest.
Stage IVB
The cancer is found in patients aged 45 years or older. The tumor may be any size and has spread to neck tissues near the backbone or around blood vessels in the neck or upper chest. Cancer may have spread to lymph nodes.
Stage IVC
The cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lung or bone, and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes.
[Back to top]Medullary thyroid cancer
The following stages are used for medullary thyroid cancer:
Stage 0 (Carcinoma in Situ)
No tumor is found in the thyroid but abnormalcells are found by screening tests. These abnormal cells may become cancer and spread into nearby normal tissue. Stage 0 is also called carcinoma in situ.
Stage I
Cancer has formed and is 2 centimeters or smaller and in the thyroid only.
Stage II
The tumor is larger than 2 centimeters but not larger than 4 centimeters and is in the thyroid only.
Stage III
The tumor either:
Stage IVA
The tumor may be any size and has spread within the neck and/or to lymph nodes in the neck or upper chest.
Stage IVB
The tumor may be any size and has spread to neck tissues near the backbone or around blood vessels in the neck or upper chest. Cancer may have spread to lymph nodes.
Stage IVC
Cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as the lung or bone, and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes.
[Back to top]Anaplastic thyroid cancer
Anaplastic thyroid cancer is considered to be stage IV thyroid cancer. It grows quickly and has usually spread within the neck when it is found. Anaplastic thyroid cancer develops most often in older people.
[Back to top]Recurrent thyroid cancer
Recurrent disease means that the cancer has come back (recurred) after it has
been treated. It may come back in the thyroid or in other parts of the body.
[Back to top]Treatment Option Overview
[Back to top]How thyroid cancer is treated
There are treatments for all patients with thyroidcancer. Four types
of treatment are used:
Surgery is the most common treatment of thyroid cancer. A doctor
may remove the cancer using one of the following operations:
- Lobectomy removes only the side of the thyroid where the cancer is found.
Lymph nodes in the area may be taken out (biopsied) to see if they contain
cancer.
- Near-total thyroidectomy removes all of the thyroid except for a small
part.
- Total thyroidectomy removes the entire thyroid.
- Lymph node dissection removes lymph nodes in the neck that contain cancer.
Radiation therapy uses high-energy x-rays to kill cancer cells and shrink
tumors. Radiation for thyroid cancer may come from a machine outside
the body (external radiation therapy) or from drinking a liquid that contains
radioactive iodine. Because the thyroid takes up iodine, the radioactive
iodine collects in any thyroid tissue remaining in the body and kills the
cancer cells.
Hormone therapy uses hormones to stop cancer cells from growing. In treating
thyroid cancer, hormones can be used to stop the body from making other
hormones that might make cancer cells grow. Hormones are usually given as
pills.
Chemotherapy uses drugs to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be taken by
pill, or it may be put into the body by a needle in the vein or muscle.
Chemotherapy is called a systemic treatment because the drug enters the
bloodstream, travels through the body, and can kill cancer cells outside the
thyroid.
[Back to top]Treatment by stage
Treatment of thyroid cancer depends on the type and stage of the
disease, and the patient’s age and overall health.
Standard treatment may be considered because of its effectiveness in patients
in past studies, or participation in a clinical trial may be considered. Not
all patients are cured with standard therapy and some standard treatments may
have more side effects than are desired. For these reasons, clinical trials
are designed to find better ways to treat cancer patients and are based on the
most up-to-date information. Clinical trials are ongoing in many parts of the
country for some patients with thyroid cancer. To learn more about
clinical trials, call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER
(1-800-422-6237); TTY at 1-800-332-8615.
[Back to top]Stage I and II Papillary and Follicular Thyroid Cancer
Treatment may be one of the following:
Check for clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage I papillary thyroid cancer, stage I follicular thyroid cancer, stage II papillary thyroid cancer and stage II follicular thyroid cancer.
[Back to top]Stage III Papillary and Follicular Thyroid Cancer
Treatment may be one of the following:
Check for clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage III papillary thyroid cancer and stage III follicular thyroid cancer.
[Back to top]Stage IV Papillary and Follicular Thyroid Cancer
Treatment may be one of the following:
Check for clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with stage IV papillary thyroid cancer and stage IV follicular thyroid cancer.
[Back to top]Medullary Thyroid Cancer
Treatment may be one of the following:
Check for clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with thyroid gland medullary carcinoma.
[Back to top]Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer
Treatment may be one of the following:
Check for clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with anaplastic thyroid cancer.
[Back to top]Recurrent Thyroid Cancer
The choice of treatment depends on the type of thyroid cancer the patient has,
the kind of treatment the patient had before, and where the cancer comes back.
Treatment may be one of the following:
Check for clinical trials from NCI's PDQ Cancer Clinical Trials Registry that are now accepting patients with recurrent thyroid cancer.
[Back to top]Changes to This Summary (09/20/2007)
The PDQcancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as new information becomes available. This section describes the latest changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Editorial changes were made to this summary.