Papillary and Follicular Types of Thyroid Cancer
Papillary and follicular types of
thyroid cancer account for 80 to 90 percent of all thyroid cancers. Papillary and follicular types of thyroid cancer:
- Begin in the follicular cells of the thyroid
- Grow slowly
- Can usually be treated successfully if they are detected early.
Types of Thyroid Cancer: Medullary
Medullary thyroid cancer accounts for 5 to 10 percent of thyroid cancer cases. Medullary thyroid cancer arises in C cells and is easier to control if it is found and treated before it spreads to other parts of the body.
Types of Thyroid Cancer: Anaplastic
Anaplastic thyroid cancer is the least common type of thyroid cancer and accounts for only 1 to 2 percent of cases. Anaplastic thyroid cancer arises in follicular cells and is highly abnormal and difficult to recognize. Anaplastic thyroid cancer is usually very hard to control because the cancer cells tend to grow and spread very quickly.
Metastatic Thyroid Cancer
If thyroid cancer spreads (metastasizes) outside the thyroid, cancer cells are often found in nearby lymph nodes, nerves, blood vessels, or other organs (such as the lungs or bones). When cancer spreads from its original location to another part of the body, the new tumor will have the same kind of abnormal cells and the same name as the primary tumor. For example, if thyroid cancer spreads to the lungs, the cancer cells in the lungs are thyroid cancer cells. The disease is metastatic thyroid cancer, not
lung cancer and it will be treated as thyroid cancer, not lung cancer. Doctors will sometimes call the new tumor "distant" or metastatic disease.
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