Is thyroid cancer dangerous or not? Is it serious?

Thyroid cancer is caused by a malignant tumor of the thyroid follicular epithelium and can be divided into papillary thyroid cancer, follicular thyroid cancer, medullary thyroid cancer and anaplastic thyroid cancer. Whether thyroid cancer is dangerous is mainly determined by the pathological stage and type.

1. Papillary thyroid carcinoma:

Early stage papillary thyroid cancer generally has no clinical symptoms and may be discovered during physical examination. It is not dangerous at this time and is often treated with surgery. Total thyroidectomy and neck lymph node dissection can be performed. No radionuclide therapy is required after the operation.

2. Follicular thyroid carcinoma:

This type of thyroid cancer is low in malignancy, most patients have no obvious symptoms, and the tumor grows slowly, with a low probability of distant metastasis, and is generally not dangerous. If the tumor is large, it may compress or invade surrounding tissues, causing symptoms such as difficulty swallowing and breathing. At this time, surgical treatment should be actively performed, and radiotherapy, chemotherapy and other treatments should be combined.

3. Medullary thyroid cancer:

Medullary carcinoma is a moderately malignant tumor with a high degree of malignancy. It may metastasize to lymph nodes and has a high probability of distant metastasis. It is more dangerous than papillary thyroid carcinoma. If lymph node metastasis occurs, lymph node dissection can be performed surgically, followed by radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and other treatments.

4. Anaplastic thyroid cancer:

The probability of distant metastasis of undifferentiated cancer is relatively low, and the prognosis is poor. It is generally dangerous because there is no specific treatment plan. If distant metastasis occurs, surgical resection is usually not possible and comprehensive treatment such as radiotherapy and chemotherapy is required.

Patients with thyroid cancer need to go to the hospital's tumor surgery department in time, complete blood routine, color ultrasound, CT and other related examinations, clarify the extent of the disease, and take surgery or chemotherapy under the guidance of a doctor.