Types of thyroid cancer
This page tells you about the types of thyroid cancer. There are 4 main types and a rare type (lymphoma) and this page has information on
Types of thyroid cancer
There are several types of thyroid cancer The commonest type is papillary thyroid cancer. It is more common in women, and usually diagnosed in younger people. This cancer is usually slow growing. But it can spread to lymph nodes in the neck or near by.
Follicular thyroid cancer is most often diagnosed in young or middle aged people. It sometimes spreads to other parts of the body. If it is going to spread, it is most often to the lungs or bones.
Medullary thyroid cancer is quite rare. About a quarter of these (25%) are caused by a faulty gene running in the family. Medullary thyroid cancer can also spread to the lungs or bones.
About 1 in 6 thyroid cancers are anaplastic type. This is usually diagnosed in older people, and is more common in women. It tends to grow more quickly than other types of thyroid cancer.
You can view and print the quick guides for all the pages in the About thyroid cancer section.
Your doctor will tell the type of thyroid cancer you have by taking a biopsy. The cells are examined under a microscope. The cells look different, depending on the type of cancer you have. Sometimes doctors group papillary and follicular types together as 'differentiated thyroid cancer'. This just means that the cells have some features of normal thyroid cells.
This is the most common type. About 6 out of 10 (60%) thyroid cancers diagnosed are papillary. This type is more common in women. It is usually diagnosed in younger people and is usually slow growing. But it can sometimes spread to lymph nodes in the neck or close to the thyroid.
This type of thyroid cancer is most often diagnosed in young or middle aged people. About 3 out of every 20 (15%) thyroid cancers diagnosed are this type. Follicular thyroid cancer sometimes spreads to other parts of the body. If it is going to spread, it is most often to the lungs or bones.
This is a rare type of thyroid cancer. Between 1 in 10 and 1 in 20 (5 to 10%) of all thyroid cancers diagnosed are this type. About a quarter (25%) of medullary thyroid cancers are caused by an inherited faulty gene which runs in the family. Medullary thyroid cancer can spread to the lungs or bones.
About 3 out of every 20 (15%) thyroid cancers diagnosed are this type. Anaplastic thyroid cancer is usually diagnosed in older people. About 3 out of every 4 (75%) people diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer are over 60 years old. Anaplastic thyroid cancer is most common in women. It tends to grow more quickly than other types of thyroid cancer.
It is possible to get a non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma of the thyroid. This is a very rare condition. If you have been diagnosed with this type of cancer, look at the NHL section of CancerHelp UK. Your cancer is a lymphoma and the NHL section tells you about the treatment for this condition.
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