Thyroid Cancer (Overview, Symptoms, Diagnosis, Stages, Causes, and Treatment)

Stages Of Thyroid Cancer

After diagnosis, doctors try to determine the stage of cancer to choose the best treatment option depending on the stage of cancer. The stage of cancer determines how far cancer has spread to the body and how to treat it. This process is known as staging. The most commonly used staging process for thyroid cancer is the TNM system given by the American Joint committee on cancer (AJCC). Where T stands for tumor, measures the specific characteristics of the main tumor such as size and growth of the tumor. N stands for nodules and gives information that cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes. M stands for metastasis and gives information if cancer has spread t other body parts such as chest and lungs.

Stages of thyroid cancer range from 1 to 4 and represented by roman letters. These letters often combined with other letters to indicate more advanced stages of cancer. Each person’s experience of cancer is different, but cancer at the same stage, most likely to receive the same prognosis and treatment plan.

Papillary or Follicular Cancer 

Staging of papillary and follicular cancer has two categories depending on the age of the patient.

  1. Patients younger than 45 years of age
  • Stage I: In stage I, cancer has not spread to other parts of the body, such as bones, chest, and lungs. It may have spread to the next lymph nodes and tissues. The tumor in stage I can be of any size. 
  • Stage II: At this stage, cancer has spread to body parts like bones and lungs other than lymph nodes. The tumor can be of any size. 
  1. Patients older than 45 years of age
  • Stage I:In stage I, the cancer is only inside the thyroid gland, and its size is up to 2cm or smaller.
  • Stage II:In this stage, the tumor is 2 to 4 cm and may have spread to nearby lymph nodes or only in the thyroid gland.
  • Stage III:The size of the tumor in stage III is more than 4cm and has spread to nearby tissues and lymph nodes. The nearby tissue may include a voice box, food pipe, trachea, and larynx.
  • Stage IV:At this stage, cancer has spread to other body parts. Doctors further divide stage IV into A, B, and C groups.
  • Stage IVA:This stage means that cancer has spread beyond the thyroid gland. At this stage, the tumor is under the skin and spread to nearby areas like the trachea, esophagus, blood vessel, bone, larynx, and nearby lymph nodes.
  • Stage IV B:Tumor can be of any size and has spread to lymph nodes, spine, and distant blood vessels.
  • Stage IV C:At this stage, cancer has spread to other parts of the body, such as lymph nodes, bones, lungs, and chest.

Medullary Thyroid Cancer

  • Stage I:The tumor at this stage is less than 2cm and only inside the thyroid.
  • Stage II:The size of the tumor at this stage is more than 2cm and may or may not has spread to nearby tissues but not lymph nodes.
  • Stage III:At this stage, the size of the tumor is equal or more than 4cm and has spread to nearby tissues and lymph nodes of the neck, trachea, and larynx. At stage III, cancer has not spread to other body parts.
  • Stage IV:This means that cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Like papillary and follicular cancer, medullary cancer has three groups A, B, and C depending on the organs affected by cancer.

Anaplastic Cancer

This type of cancer spreads rapidly to other parts of the body. Anaplastic cancer has three stages.

  • Stage IVA:At this stage, cancer may or may not has spread to lymph nodes. The size of the tumor is less than 4cm.
  • Stage IVB:At this stage, cancer has grown into the lymph nodes but not to other parts of the body.
  • Stage IVC:At this stage, the bones, lungs, and other parts of the body has affected by cancer.