Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer is a rare cancer, around 2,700 people are diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year. Less than 1 in every 100 cancers diagnosed in the UK is a thyroid cancer. It is 2 to 3 times more common in women than in men.
There are different types of thyroid cancer:
- Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common type . About 6 out of 10 thyroid cancers diagnosed are papillary (60%). This type is more common in women. It is usually diagnosed in younger people and is usually slow growing.
- Follicular thyroid cancer is most often diagnosed in middle aged people. About 3 out of every 20 thyroid cancers diagnosed are this type (15%).
- Medullary thyroid cancer is a rare type of thyroid cancer. Between 5 and 8 out of every 100 thyroid cancers diagnosed are this type (5 to 8%).
- Anaplastic thyroid cancer forms less than 1 in 20 of all thyroid cancers diagnosed (5%). It is usually diagnosed in older people.
Common symptoms of thyroid cancer are:
- A lump at the base of your neck.
- A hoarseness of voice that lasts for more than a few weeks.
- A difficulty in swallowing that does not get better.
- A difficulty in breathing.
Stages of The Thyroid Cancer According to Size
Stage one (a):
The tumor is entirely inside the thyroid and is less than 1cm across in any direction.
The tumor is entirely inside the thyroid and is less than 1cm across in any direction.
Available:www.cancerresearchuk.org
Stage one (b):
The tumor is entirely inside the thyroid and is more than 1 cm but no more than 2cm across in any direction.
Available:www.cancerresearchuk.org
Stage two:
The tumor is entirely inside the thyroid and is more than 2cm but no more than 4cm across in any direction
Available:www.cancerresearchuk.org
Stage three:
The tumor is more than 4cm across or it starts to grow into tissues close to the thyroid
Available:www.cancerresearchuk.org
Stage four (a):
The cancer has grown outside the covering of the thyroid gland into nearby soft tissue, such as the voice box (larynx), windpipe (trachea), food pipe (oesophagus) or the voice box nerve (recurrent laryngeal nerve).
Available:www.cancerresearchuk.org
Stage four (b):
The cancer has grown outside the thyroid gland in the area surrounding the bones of the spine, or one of the main blood vessels in the neck area.
Available:www.cancerresearchuk.org
Stages of The Thyroid Cancer According to Lymph Node
Stage one:
Means the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes close to the thyroid in the neck (called pretracheal, paratracheal, and prelaryngeal lymph nodes)
Available:www.cancerresearchuk.org
Stage two:
Means the cancer has spread to other lymph nodes in the neck (called cervical nodes) or to lymph nodes behind the throat or in the upper chest .
Available:www.cancerresearchuk.org
Spreading of The Thyroid Cancer
Spreading of the cancer (Metastases):
Two possible stages of cancer spread, either the cancer has not spread to another part of the body or it has spread.
Two possible stages of cancer spread, either the cancer has not spread to another part of the body or it has spread.