Thyroid Cancer

If you’ve been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, it’s important to know that it’s one of the most treatable forms of cancer. You’re in trusted, highly experienced hands with Virtua’s thyroid cancer specialists.

Thyroid Cancer Symptoms, Causes, and Risk Factors

The thyroid is a small, butterfly-shaped gland in the front of your neck that produces hormones that regulate your heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, and weight.

Thyroid conditions, including cancerous (malignant) or non-cancerous (benign) growths, don’t often have distinct or noticeable symptoms.

Thyroid cancer symptoms may include:

• A lump, or nodule, you feel on the front of your neck
• Hoarseness or voice changes
• Difficulty swallowing
• Pain in your neck and throat
• Swollen lymph nodes in your neck

Talk to your doctor if you experience any of these symptoms, especially if you can feel a lump in the area under your Adam’s apple on the front of your neck.

While the cause of thyroid cancer is often unknown, it’s more common in women and people who’ve been exposed to radiation from previous cancer treatment or environmental exposure. Other risk factors include family history, genetic abnormalities, being overweight, and having a low-iodine diet.

Thyroid Cancer Types

Papillary and follicular thyroid cancers make up 90% of thyroid cancers. These thyroid cancer types are well-differentiated, meaning they grow slowly and are very curable when found early.

Rarer thyroid cancers include lymphoma, medullary cancer, and anaplastic cancer, which are faster-growing and more aggressive.

Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis at Virtua

Thyroid cancer is typically diagnosed by an endocrinologist or otolaryngologist (ENT - ear, nose, and throat specialist) through medical evaluation, physical examination, and diagnostic tests.

Medical history and physical examination

You’ll discuss your symptoms, medical history, and risk factors with your doctor. You’ll also have a physical exam of your neck to feel for lumps or changes in your thyroid.

Diagnostic imaging

Imaging plays a key role in diagnosing thyroid nodules or cancer. These tests include:

• Ultrasound: to show thyroid nodules or other abnormalities, leading to further diagnostic tests.
• CT scan or MRI: to determine if you have thyroid cancer that has spread (metastasized).

Biopsy

A biopsy is the most definitive way to diagnose thyroid cancer. Your doctor may recommend a fine-needle biopsy, using a thin, hollow needle to remove a tissue sample that can be examined under a microscope.

Lab tests

The tissue from your biopsy may undergo lab tests, including molecular analysis, to confirm a cancer diagnosis and determine the tumor type and stage.

Molecular analysis may be used to pinpoint specific genetic or molecular markers that can guide treatment decisions.

It's important to receive an accurate diagnosis so your treatment planning can begin as quickly as possible.

Thyroid Cancer Treatment at Virtua

Surgery is the primary treatment option for thyroid cancer, and Virtua surgeons offer minimally invasive options that provide quicker recovery and return to normal activities.

Treatment options include:

• Thyroidectomy: This surgery is performed to remove most or all of the thyroid. Surrounding lymph nodes may also be removed.
• Thyroid lobectomy: This surgery removes half of the thyroid and may be used to treat slower-growing thyroid cancer.
• Radioactive iodine therapy: This therapy may be used after surgery to destroy any remaining cancer cells.

Virtua surgeons collaborate with the Penn Medicine | Virtua Health Cancer Program team to offer additional treatment options and personalized support services.

For more advanced or aggressive forms of thyroid cancer, treatment may include:

• Radiation therapy: This therapy uses high-energy, targeted X-rays or protons to destroy cancer cells and shrink tumors. Radiation therapy may be recommended if your cancer doesn’t respond to other treatments or has returned (recurred) after previous treatment.
• Chemotherapy: Chemotherapy uses drugs or other substances to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy may be used to cure or control cancer, shrink tumors before surgery, or destroy residual cancer cells as part of your treatment.
• Targeted therapy: Using your cancer’s specific molecular profile, this treatment uses drugs or other substances to target the growth or spread of cancer.

Personalized support with dedicated nurse navigation

Your oncology nurse navigator provides personalized support before, during, and after cancer treatment. Your nurse navigator can answer questions about your diagnosis and treatment, streamline communications with your medical team, schedule your treatments or follow-up care appointments, and connect you and your family with support services.