Doctors in the United States diagnose more than 62,500 people per year with thyroid cancer. Advanced diagnostic techniques mean doctors can find the disease earlier and more often.
Our doctors diagnose thyroid cancer accurately and quickly. The process starts with a physical examination. Your doctor will look for swelling, lumps, or other abnormal areas on your neck or throat.
Screening and diagnostic tests
You also may need one or more of the following tests:
- Laryngoscopy -- We’ll examine your throat and larynx (voice box) using small mirrors or a tube with a light and camera.
- Biopsy -- We may need to take cells from the tumor so our pathologists can determine if they’re cancerous.
- Blood tests -- We may take a small blood sample to measure the amount of calcium, hormones, and other substances in your blood.
- Imaging -- Your doctor may order a computed tomography (CT) scan, a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan, or X-rays to view the inside of your throat.
- Radioiodine scan -- In this test, you’ll swallow or have an injection of a small amount of radioactive iodine, and we’ll use a special camera to see where thyroid cells pick up the iodine. This helps us see if a lump is cancerous or if the cancer has spread.
- Positron emission tomography (PET) scan -- These tests use a mild radioactive substance to check the function of your cells and tissues and let us know if the thyroid cancer has spread.
Thyroid cancer types and staging
If we detect thyroid cancer, we’ll identify which type and the state of the disease. The cancer stage refers to its size and if it has spread. Thyroid cancer typing and staging helps doctors choose the best treatment options.
Papillary and follicular thyroid cancer in patients younger than 45
There are two stages of this type of thyroid cancer. In Stage I, the tumor may be any size. It may have spread from the thyroid to nearby tissues or lymph nodes, but it hasn’t spread elsewhere in the body.
In Stage II, the tumor has spread beyond the thyroid to other areas of the body. It may have spread to the lymph nodes.
Papillary and follicular thyroid cancer in patients 45 and older
There are four stages of this type of thyroid cancer:
- Stage I: Cancer has formed in the thyroid, and the tumor is 2 centimeters (about 0.75 inch) or smaller.
- Stage II: The tumor is still only in the thyroid. It may be larger than 2 centimeters (about 0.75 inch), but it is smaller than 4 centimeters (about 1.5 inches).
- Stage III: The tumor is larger than 4 centimeters (about 1.5 inches). It has spread into nearby tissues or nearby lymph nodes.
- Stage IV: Cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Doctors classify stage IV tumors as IVA, IVB, or IVC, depending on their size and where cancer cells are located.
Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC)
There are five stages of this type of thyroid cancer:
- Stage 0: No tumor has formed. Doctors can identify stage 0 MTC with screening tests.
- Stage I: Cancer has formed in the thyroid, and the tumor is 2 centimeters (about 0.75 inch) or smaller.
- Stage II: The tumor is only in the thyroid and is 2 centimeters (about 0.75 inch) or smaller, or it has spread outside the thyroid to nearby tissues but not to lymph nodes.
- Stage III: The tumor has spread into lymph nodes and may have spread to nearby tissues.
- Stage IV: Cancer has spread to other parts of the body. Doctors classify stage IV tumors as IVA, IVB, or IVC, depending on their size and where cancer cells are located.
Anaplastic thyroid cancer
Doctors always classify anaplastic thyroid cancer tumors as stage IV. The cancer usually has spread outside the thyroid by the time it’s diagnosed. Doctors classify these tumors as Stage IVA, IVB, or IVC, depending on their size and where the cancer cells are located.