Types of thyroid cancer

There are certain types of thyroid cancer. These are papillary, follicular, medullary and anaplastic. Each of them has its own characteristics.

• Papillary cancer. This type of tumor has many protrusions on its surface. In some cases, it looks like a fern leaf. This is the most common form of cancer and occurs in 80%. Women suffer from this disease much more often than men. People who have undergone a course of therapy live longer than 25 years in 99%.
• Follicular cancer. In this case, the tumor takes the form of bubbles. Often, the neoplasm appears in elderly people, especially women. Cancer spreads not only to the vessels, but also to the lymph nodes. The prognosis is favorable in most cases.
• Medullary cancer. This form of malignant neoplasm is rare. It occurs in 5-8% of cases. It is more dangerous than other types and can occur with certain symptoms. It occurs mainly in people over 40-50 years old. Only complete removal of the thyroid gland can help get rid of the problem.
• Anaplastic cancer. The rarest form of the disease. This condition is characterized by the development of atypical cells. This disease occurs in 3% of all cases. Thyroid cancer of this type is characterized by the most unfavorable prognosis.

Papillary thyroid cancer

Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common of all types. The tumor resembles a fern leaf. This type is classified as a highly differentiated tumor. This means that the cells are similar to normal ones, and it is not so easy to immediately determine the presence of the disease.

This type occurs in 80% of cases. Basically, everything happens smoothly and slowly. The disease does not pose a particular danger if you start eliminating it in time. This type of cancer is not capable of metastasizing and is very treatable.

If you examine the thyroid gland of a healthy person, then 10% of them may have tiny tumors. They do not grow and do not manifest themselves in any way. But in some cases, they still reach large sizes, and that is when high-quality treatment should be prescribed.

This problem is more common in men than in women, aged 30-50 years. People who seek treatment in time and undergo therapy live more than 25 years. Therefore, thyroid cancer in this case has a favorable prognosis.

Medullary thyroid cancer

Medullary thyroid cancer is a rather rare form of the disease. It occurs in 5-8% of all cases. This is mainly due to paraphyllic cells, which are produced by the hormone calcitonin. It is responsible for regulating the level of phosphorus, calcium, and bone growth.

This tumor is much more dangerous than others. It can grow into a capsule in the trachea and muscles. In this case, the disease is accompanied by a feeling of heat, redness of the face and intestinal upset. The disease occurs in people aged 40-50 years. Both men and women suffer from it equally.

Medullary cancer is often accompanied by other disorders of the endocrine glands, and multiple endocrine neoplasms are also possible. The cells of this tumor do not absorb iodine, so therapy with it does not bring positive results.

Only surgery can eliminate thyroid cancer of this type. It is necessary to completely remove the gland and cervical lymph nodes. Patients over 50 years of age have an extremely unfavorable prognosis.

Follicular thyroid cancer

Follicular thyroid cancer is represented by the presence of a tumor with bubbles. The disease often appears in elderly people, especially women. It occurs in 10-15% of cases and does not pose a particular danger. High-quality therapy has a positive effect and the person quickly recovers.

In extremely rare cases, the tumor does not grow into blood vessels and surrounding tissues. In addition, it does not metastasize, so it is called minimally invasive. The remaining 70% of follicular cancer cases are more aggressive and require a serious approach to eliminating the problem. Cancer can spread not only to the vessels, but also to the lymph nodes. In addition, distant organs are affected, including bones and lungs.

Metastases in this case respond well to treatment with radioactive iodine. The prognosis for the course of the disease is favorable, especially in patients under 50 years of age. In older people, thyroid cancer of this type may be complicated by metastases.

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Anaplastic thyroid cancer

Anaplastic thyroid cancer is the rarest form of the disease. It is characterized by the development of atypical cells in the thyroid gland. They do not have any functions and are only capable of dividing. This type of tumor occurs in 3% of cases.

It mainly manifests itself in people over 65 years of age. Moreover, women suffer from this tumor more often than men. The disease is characterized by rapid growth and spread of metastases. Unfortunately, this type of cancer is difficult to treat. It is almost impossible to remove the tumor. Therefore, of all existing types of cancer, anaplastic has the most unfavorable prognosis.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to save a person. But the disease does not manifest itself so often. The whole problem is that metastases spread at a special speed, which does not allow for quality treatment. It is impossible to eliminate all the consequences of this tumor due to the speed of the process. Thyroid cancer at this stage is practically incurable.

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Squamous cell thyroid cancer

Squamous cell thyroid cancer has an extremely severe course. Metastases begin to appear early and in large quantities. The prognosis is unfavorable. When the patient first comes to the doctor, a widespread process can be noticed. The tumor can occupy the entire thyroid gland and even spread to surrounding tissues and organs.

Microscopic tumors have a typical structure of squamous cell carcinoma. They are often accompanied by the formation of horny pearls. Areas of such metaplasia can be found in papillary and follicular adenocarcinomas. This can aggravate the course of another type of malignant tumor.

If possible, immediate surgical treatment is necessary. After all, squamous cell carcinoma is refractory to other types of treatment. There are chances for improvement, but they are extremely small. This is the most complex type of tumor, which is not so easy to eliminate. Thyroid cancer at this stage is dangerous because of its complexity and the almost impossibility of elimination.

Hidden thyroid cancer

Latent thyroid cancer may manifest itself as clinically regional metastases in the jugular region. The primary thyroid tumor is determined exclusively by ultrasound. In some cases, microscopic examination is performed.

It is also worth noting that the hidden focus can have a different histological structure. In almost 80% of cases, it is represented by papillary cancer.

Clinical signs of the disease can be safely divided into 3 groups. So, the first one notes symptoms associated with the development of a tumor in the thyroid gland. The second group is represented by symptoms that arose due to the tumor growing into the tissues surrounding the gland. The third group of symptoms is caused by regional and distant metastasis.

The first group is characterized by rapid growth of the node, moreover, a dense consistency and lumps appear, as well as uneven compaction. If the tumor spreads beyond the thyroid gland into the surrounding tissues, hoarseness of the voice, difficulty breathing, swallowing food and dilation of the veins on the anterior surface of the chest are possible.

The third group of signs is directly related to regional and distant metastases. In the neck area, one can notice damage to the deep jugular chain, less often lymph nodes. Thyroid cancer can be diagnosed at this stage using ultrasound.

Molecular thyroid cancer

Molecular thyroid cancer is the second name of the papillary variety. It is the most common of all existing ones. If you look closely at the tumor itself, then in its external data it is very similar to a fern leaf.

This type of cancer is classified as a highly differentiated tumor. This means that the cells are very similar to normal cells, and it is extremely difficult to understand that these are cancerous lesions.

Malignant neoplasm of this type occurs in 80% of cases. The disease does not pose a particular danger if the process of elimination is started in a timely manner. This type of cancer does not allow metastases, which allows for high-quality removal of the tumor and does not allow it to develop strongly.

Even in a healthy person, small tumors can be seen on the thyroid gland. They do not grow and do not pose a particular danger. If suddenly their size begins to rapidly increase, everything is removed by means of high-quality therapy. Thyroid cancer of this type is more common in men than in women.

Differentiated thyroid cancer

Differentiated thyroid cancer is characterized by relatively slow growth and late metastasis. That is why it is much easier to remove without any complications. Differentiated cancer includes papillary and follicular types.

These types of malignant tumors are among the most common among both men and women. Due to some features, they are easy to eliminate. The main thing is that a person seeks help in time.

At the initial stages, cancer does not particularly manifest itself and only after a certain period of time will it begin to "disturb" the patient. He will feel some discomfort, there will be difficulties in eating, breathing and physical activity. But the thing is that these types of cancer practically do not give metastases. Therefore, it can be eliminated even with pronounced symptoms. Radioactive iodine perfectly helps to get rid of all the consequences of this disease. Thyroid cancer in this case does not pose a particular danger.

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Well differentiated thyroid cancer

Highly differentiated thyroid cancer is represented by two varieties. These are papillary and follicular. The first variation is quite common in 85% of cases. Metastases usually spread through the lymphatic pathways to regional lymph nodes. Distant metastases can affect the lungs and bones. The prognosis is favorable, even despite the large number of metastases.

Follicular cancer. Occurs in 10% of all cases. Histological examination reveals that one of the signs distinguishing it from benign adenoma is invasion of the thyroid capsule and vessels. Often, distant metastases affect bones, liver, and lungs. As for the prognosis, it is favorable.

Much depends on how quickly a person seeks help. Timely diagnosis of the problem can lead to a positive result. Thyroid cancer is easily eliminated, but only thanks to high-quality treatment and not a late stage of the disease.

Undifferentiated thyroid cancer

Undifferentiated thyroid cancer is a tumor that grows from carcinosarcoma and epidermoid cancer cells. Often, this form is a malignant transformation of a long-standing nodular goiter.

It is observed in people aged 60-65 years. It is characterized by a rapid, aggressive and severe clinical course. With this type of cancer, the thyroid gland increases significantly in size, and quite quickly. This can cause a disruption in the functioning of the mediastinal organs. The tumor gradually grows into nearby tissues, organs and lymph nodes of the neck. In some cases, a false-inflammatory form of the disease with elevated temperature, leukocytosis and reddening of the skin is observed.

Diagnosis of this type of cancer is made on the basis of examination of the thyroid gland. In addition, ultrasound examination, computed tomography, magnetic resonance imaging and biochemical studies are carried out. Thyroid cancer in this case requires immediate medical intervention.

Thyroid nodule cancer

Thyroid nodule cancer is a malignant neoplasm. It occurs mainly in the gland itself and, depending on the stage of the disease, can spread to nearby tissues. Then the lymph nodes, lungs, and even bones are affected.

The tumor looks like a nodule, which can grow over time and cause a lot of discomfort to a person. Hoarseness of voice, difficulty breathing and swallowing food appear. Over time, the deformation of the thyroid gland will be noticeable.

At the first stages, a small nodule is not noticeable, neither visually nor by sensation. Nothing bothers the person, over time, discomfort appears and at this stage the victim is sent to the hospital. With timely diagnosis of the problem and the appointment of high-quality treatment, the problem is eliminated quickly. It is important to detect it in time and begin to fight the malignant neoplasm. Thyroid cancer is not a death sentence, but the tumor can only be eliminated in the early stages.