Thyroid Cancer

On this page

Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Symptoms
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Prevention and Risk Factors
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

See, Play and Learn

• Images
• Videos and Tutorials

Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Reference Desk
• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, just above your collarbone. It makes hormones that help the body work normally. There are several types of cancer of the thyroid gland. You are at greater risk if you

• Are between ages 25 and 65
• Are a woman
• Are Asian
• Have a family member who has had thyroid disease
• Have had radiation treatments to your head or neck

You should see a doctor if you have a lump or swelling in your neck. Doctors use a physical exam, thyroid tests, other blood and imaging tests, and a biopsy to diagnose thyroid cancer. Treatment depends on the type of cancer you have and how far the cancer has spread. Many patients receive a combination of treatments. They may include surgery, radioactive iodine, hormone treatment, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, or targeted therapy. Targeted therapy uses substances that attack cancer cells without harming normal cells.

NIH: National Cancer Institute

Start Here

• General Information about Thyroid Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid Cancer (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
• What Is Thyroid Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Symptoms

• Signs and Symptoms of Thyroid Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Diagnosis and Tests

• Calcitonin (American Association for Clinical Chemistry)
• Can Thyroid Cancer Be Found Early? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• How Is Thyroid Cancer Diagnosed? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Needle Biopsy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• PTEN Genetic Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Stages of Thyroid Cancer (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Thyroglobulin (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid Scan and Uptake (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid Tests (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• TSH (Thyroid-stimulating hormone) test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Tumor Marker Tests (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Ultrasound of the Thyroid Gland (American College of Radiology, Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish
• Ultrasound-Guided Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy of the Thyroid (Radiological Society of North America) Also in Spanish

Prevention and Risk Factors

• Can Thyroid Cancer Be Prevented? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Neck Check (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists) - PDF
• Thyroid Cancer Risk Factors (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Chemotherapy for Thyroid Cancer (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Drugs Approved for Thyroid Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
• Radioactive Iodine (Radioiodine) Therapy (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid Hormone Treatment (American Thyroid Association) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid Surgery (American Thyroid Association) Also in Spanish
• Thyroidectomy (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Treatment Option Overview (Thyroid Cancer) (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Treatment Options by Stage (Thyroid Cancer) (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Living With

• Living as a Thyroid Cancer Survivor (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Related Issues

• Accidents at Nuclear Power Plants and Cancer Risk (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Can I lower the Risk of My Cancer Progressing or Coming Back? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• Get the Facts About Exposure to I-131 Radiation (National Cancer Institute)
• Nuclear Radiation and the Thyroid (American Thyroid Association) - PDF Also in Spanish
• What Causes Thyroid Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish
• What Should You Ask Your Health Care Team About Thyroid Cancer? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Specifics

• Hurthle Cell Cancer (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish

Genetics

• Genetics Home Reference: multiple endocrine neoplasia (National Library of Medicine)

Images

• Thyroidectomy - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Videos and Tutorials

• Surgical Removal of the Thyroid Gland (BroadcastMed) - Baptist Health South Florida, Miami, FL, 2/01/2012 Also in Spanish

Statistics and Research

• Cancer of the Thyroid (National Cancer Institute)
• Key Statistics for Thyroid Cancer (American Cancer Society)
• Sorafenib Improves Progression-Free Survival in Some Patients with Metastatic Thyroid Cancer (National Cancer Institute)
• What's New in Thyroid Cancer Research and Treatment? (American Cancer Society) Also in Spanish

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Thyroid Neoplasms (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Extensive peritoneal implant metastases of malignant struma ovarii treated by...
• Article: Prediction of novel target genes and pathways involved in tall...
• Article: Identifying risk factors of lateral lymph node recurrence in clinically...
• Thyroid Cancer -- see more articles

Reference Desk

• Dictionary of Cancer Terms (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Find an Expert

• American Cancer Society
• American Thyroid Association
• Find a Cancer Doctor (American Society of Clinical Oncology)
• Find an Endocrinology - Thyroid Specialist (American Thyroid Association)
• National Cancer Institute Also in Spanish
• NCI Designated Cancer Centers (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish
• Organizations That Offer Support Services (National Cancer Institute) Also in Spanish

Children

• Pediatric Thyroid Cancer (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)

Patient Handouts

• Anaplastic thyroid cancer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Fine needle aspiration of the thyroid (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Medullary carcinoma of thyroid (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid cancer (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid cancer - papillary carcinoma (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid gland removal (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Thyroid Tests (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Thyroid ultrasound (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Understanding Chemotherapy (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• What to Know about Brachytherapy (A Type of Internal Radiation Therapy) (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish
• What to Know about External Beam Radiation Therapy (National Cancer Institute) - PDF Also in Spanish