Thyroid cancer is a rare type of cancer. In Switzerland, around 800 people are diagnosed with it every year. Women are affected twice as often as men. The incidence rate increases from the age of 25 and is highest between 40 and 60.

Onkologie

What is thyroid cancer?

Thyroid cancer is a tumor disease that develops in the thyroid gland, a butterfly-shaped organ in the front of the neck, below the larynx. The thyroid gland produces hormones that help to regulate important bodily functions such as metabolism, cardiac activity and blood pressure.

Thyroid cancer can develop when originally healthy cells in the thyroid gland begin to grow uncontrollably, divide and grow into surrounding tissue. These rapidly multiplying cells can form a tumor.

Cancer cells can spread via the lymphatic and blood vessels and form metastases (offshoots) in other parts of the body.

Types of thyroid cancer

The thyroid gland consists of different cell types. Each of these cell types can develop into cancers with different characteristics.

The most common types of thyroid cancer are:

Papillary thyroid carcinoma: This is the most common form and accounts for around 70-80% of all thyroid cancers. It usually grows slowly and often spreads to the lymph nodes in the neck.

Follicular thyroid carcinoma: This type accounts for around 10 % of all thyroid cancers. Follicular thyroid carcinoma does not usually spread to the lymph nodes, but it can form metastases in other parts of the body.

Medullary thyroid carcinoma: accounts for around 4% of all thyroid cancer cases. This form of thyroid cancer originates from the hormone-producing C-cells. It is considered more difficult to detect and treat.

Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma: This type of cancer is very rare. The tumor cells often spread quickly to the neck and other parts of the body, which makes treatment more difficult.

There are also other, rarer types of thyroid cancer, such as thyroid lymphoma or thyroid sarcoma.

Symptoms

Symptoms that may indicate thyroid cancer include:

  • A lump in the neck area that grows quickly
  • Swelling in the neck
  • Pain in the front of the neck that can radiate to the ears
  • Persistent hoarseness or other changes in the voice
  • Difficulty swallowing
  • Breathing problems
  • Persistent cough that is not due to a cold

Important: Many of these symptoms can also be caused by other, non-cancerous diseases. It is nevertheless advisable to have symptoms checked by a doctor immediately.

Causes and risk factors

What exactly causes thyroid cancer has not yet been fully researched. Scientists assume that various factors can increase the risk of developing the disease.

The risk factors include:

  • Certain hereditary diseases
  • Thyroid cancer in the family
  • Radiation exposure.
  • Overweight and obesity
  • Iodine levels too low or too high

Treatment options

There are various ways to treat thyroid cancer. Not all of the treatment options listed below are suitable for every type of thyroid cancer.

The treatment options for thyroid cancer include

  • Surgery: There are various operations to treat thyroid cancer, in which either part or all of the thyroid gland is removed with or without the lymph nodes. Surgical therapy is considered the most common form of treatment for thyroid cancer.
  • Radioactive iodine therapy: This therapy aims to destroy cancer cells or thyroid tissue left behind after surgery. It is mainly used for papillary and follicular thyroid cancer.
  • Hormone therapies: If the thyroid gland has been removed, lifelong thyroid hormone replacement therapy is necessary to maintain normal bodily functions and reduce the risk of relapse.
  • Radiotherapy: In this form of therapy, high-energy radiation is used to destroy the cancer cells or slow down their growth.
  • Targeted therapies: These specifically developed drugs can block or slow down certain mechanisms and pathways that are responsible for the growth, division and spread of cancer cells.
  • Chemotherapies: Chemotherapy uses drugs that circulate in the bloodstream and can reach and kill fast-growing cells, including cancer cells, throughout the body.

Which of these therapies is used depends on various factors, including the general state of health and the size, location and characteristics of the tumor. Depending on the type and stage of the disease, therapies may be used in combination or in succession.

CH-ONC-24-00015, 04/2024

Other treatment areas

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