After you are diagnosed with thyroid cancer, you will have tests to determine the type of cancer cells you have and whether cancer has spread (metastasized) to other parts of your body.
| Cell type | Stage | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| Papillary and follicular | I |
Younger than 45: Cancer has not spread (metastasized) to other parts of the body. Cancer is 2 cm (0.8 in.) or smaller and has not spread to other parts of the body. |
II |
Younger than 45: Cancer has spread beyond the thyroid gland. Older than 45: Cancer is found only in the thyroid gland. It is larger than 2 cm (0.4 in.) and smaller than 4 cm (1.6 in.). |
|
III |
Older than 45: Cancer has spread to other tissues and lymph nodes in the neck near the thyroid. |
|
IV |
Older than 45: Cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as more distant lymph nodes in the neck or the lungs or bones. |
|
| Medullary | I |
Cancer is 2 cm (0.4 in.) or smaller. |
II |
Cancer is larger than 2 cm (0.4 in.) but smaller than 4 cm (1.6 in.). |
|
III |
Cancer has spread to the lymph nodes near the thyroid. |
|
IV |
Cancer has spread to more distant lymph nodes in the neck, and it may have spread to other parts of the body. |
|
| Anaplastic | IV |
All anaplastic cancer is considered to be stage IV. It grows and spreads much faster than the other cell types. The cancer may have already spread outside the thyroid by the time it is diagnosed. |
Credits
| Author | Shannon Erstad, MBA/MPH |
| Editor | Kathleen M. Ariss, MS |
| Associate Editor | Pat Truman, MATC |
| Associate Editor | Terrina Vail |
| Primary Medical Reviewer | E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine |
| Specialist Medical Reviewer | Matthew I. Kim, MD - Endocrinology & Metabolism |
| Last Updated | September 19, 2007 |
