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Cancer of the thyroid is a disease in which malignant (cancerous) cells are found in the tissues of the thyroid
gland. The thyroid gland is located at the base of the throat and produces hormones that help the body function normally.
Most patients are between 25 and 65 years old, thyroid cancer is more common in women than in men. It is the most common malignancy of the endocrine
(hormone) system. There are four main types of thyroid cancer (depending on the type of cell that the cancer developed in); papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, medullary carcinoma and anaplastic carcinoma. Occasionally other type of cancer
(lymphoma, sarcoma and carcinosarcoma) can be found in the thyroid gland.
Some thyroid cancers are caused by exposure to radiation and some medullary carcinomas are associated with an inherited condition (multiple endocrine neoplasia). However, in the large majority of cases the cause is unknown.
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 About the Thyroid Gland
- Selected Terminology
- Resources for Patients and the Public
- Resources for Health Professionals / Researchers
- General Thyroid Organisations
- About the Parathyroid Glands
- Parathyroid Cancer
- Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia /Familial Thyroid Ca.
 Cancers of the Endocrine System
The thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland which is located at the base of the throat . It has two lobes
separated in the middle by a strip of tissue (the isthmus). The
Thyroid itself secretes three main hormones:
- Thyroxine contains iodine which is essential for the
body's normal growth, and metabolism. Thyroxine helps control
body size, regulating not only the growth of tissues but also
the differentiation or specialisation of tissues.
- Triiodothyronine has similar functions to thyroxine.
- Calcitonin causes a decrease in the concentration of
calcium in the blood. Calcitonin works with secretions from the
parathyroid glands to maintain the balance of calcium necessary
for the body to function.
People who have surgery to remove the thyroid gland (thyroidectomy) for cancer or other thyroid problems usually need to take thyroxine supplements in order to maintain normal weigh and body functions.
See also Medical Terminology for Cancer: The Endocrine System
- Ablative Iodine (I-131)
- Therapeutic doses of radioactive iodine with the aim of destroying all remaining thyroid tissues.
- Carcinoma.
- A malignant tumour arising from epithelial tissue (cells of the glands and the outer layer of skin that lines blood vessels, hollow organs and the body's orifices).
- I-131
- Radioactive Iodine. Iodine is readily uptaken by the thyroid gland, therefore I-131 may be used in small doses for monitoring thyroid tissues (thyroid scanning or "I-131 challenge") or in large doses for treating thyroid cancer ("ablative" I-131).
- Lobe
- A portion of an organ such as the liver, lung, breast, brain or thyroid.
- Lobectomy
- Surgical resection of a lobe of an organ such as the liver or thyroid.
- Lymph-Nodes
- These are small, bean-shaped organs that supply lymphoctyes (a type of white blood cell) to the bloodstream. They also filter out bacteria and other foreign substances from the lymph fluid that contains white blood cells. Lymph nodes (also called lymph
glands) are located througout the body.
- Thyroidectomy
- Surgical removal of the thyroid gland.
Partial Thyroidectomy - removal of part of the thyroid eg. lobectomy or hemithyroidectomy
Total Thyroidectomy - removal of all of the (remaining) thyroid gland.
- Thyroxine
- A hormone produced by the thyroid gland. It contains iodine which is essential for the body's normal growth, and metabolism. Following therapy for thyroid cancer many patients need to take thyroxine supplements in order to maintain normal weigh and body
functions.
- FMTC
- Familial Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma
- MEN
- Multiple Endocrine Neoplasia - (familial) a.k.a. FMEN
See also Cancer Glossary
See also Medical Terminology for Cancer
- ADEN-CYST - Adenoid Cystic Carcinomas Electronic Support Group (ACOR)
- Cancer of the Thyroid an information broshure by the Thyroid Foundation of America and American Thyroid Association
- Development of Thyroid Cancer Since the Chernobyl Accident (Net Magazine) Article by Professor M. Schlumberger, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif - France Includes details of the risks to children from ionizing radiation. English and French language support. PDF format
- Johns Hopkins Thyroid Tumor Center (USA) The web site includes information about the center, sevices provided and thyroid cancer research.
- Papillary Thyroid Cancer: An Inquiring Patient's Guide (UK) A site by Julia Lawrence who was diagnosed with the disease in 1999 at age 32. The site aims to fill a gap in information about thyroid cancer on the Web, it includes Julia's personal experience, FAQ, links and other information.
- Patient's Information - Cancer of the Thyroid (American Thyroid Association)
- Patient's information for Thyroid Cancer (CancerNet) Information about the disease, staging, and treatment overviews. It is reviewed each month by a panel of medical experts.
- Questions and Answers: Thyroid cancer From the CancerHelp Web site produced by Cancer Research UK.
- Radioiodine therapy (Royal Marsden Hospital, UK) An on-line patient booklet.
- The Unfolding Drama of a Thyroid Cancer Patient Home page of Stuart, age 52 who began treatment for papillary carcinoma of the thyroid in May 1999. The site includes personal perspectives and a diary of the treatment.
- ThyCa: Thyroid Cancer Survivors' Association A non-profit organisation founded in 1995 developing programs to link survivors and healthcare professionals around the world. The web site includes news for survivors about on-line chats, conference, mailing lists and local support groups.
- Thyroid Cancer (EndocrineWeb.Com) several pages of information on the different types of thyroid cancer.
- Thyroid Cancer (HealrthLinkUSA) links to sites about thyroid cancer.
- Thyroid cancer (CancerHelp UK) Information about the cancer, diagnosis, treatment and living with the disease.
- Thyroid Cancer - overview (MedicineNet)
- Thyroid Surgery (M. D. Anderson Cancer Center) a patients guide with diagrams etc.
- THYROID-ONC - Thyroid Tumors Electronic Support Group Email discussion list
- Treating Thyroid Disease with Radioactive Iodine (NucMedNet) includes images
- Understanding Cancer of the Thyroid (BACUP, UK) An on-line booklet
See also Cancer Resources for Patients and the Public
See also General Thyroid Organisations
- CancerLit: Endocrine Cancers (National Cancer Institute) On-line abstracts for health professionals. Sorted by month and year for Adrenocortical, Islet Cel, Parathyroid, Pheochronoctytoma, Pituitory, and Thyroid cancer.
- Case study: A fifty-five year old male with Hurthle cell carcinoma (Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh)
- Case study: An eighty year old female with an insular carcinoma of the thyroid (Department of Pathology, University of Pittsburgh)
- Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Management of Thyroid Carcinoma (American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists / American College of Endocrinology)
- Development of Thyroid Cancer Since the Chernobyl Accident (Net Magazine) Article by Professor M. Schlumberger, Institut Gustave Roussy, Villejuif - France Includes details of the risks to children from ionizing radiation. English and French language support. PDF format
- Endocrine Pathology. (WebPath, USA) Pathology Images - including some cancer related.
- Endocrine-Related Cancer Journal of the Society for Endocrinology - browsable abstracts and dowloadable full text PDF files.
- Physician's PDQ statement for Thyroid Cancer (CancerNet) A referenced overview of the disease, cellular classification, staging, and current treatment overviews. It is reviewed each month by experts at the NCI.
- Thyroid Carcinoma, Papillary - Genetic Information (OMIM, National Center for Biotechnology Information, USA)
- Thyroid Malignancy (Loyola University, Chicago, USA) Pages by Professor Donald Gordon - detailed teaching information about thyroid neoplasms, including images.
- Treating Thyroid Disease with Radioactive Iodine (NucMedNet) includes images
See also Cancer Resources for Health Professionals
See also General Thyroid Organisations
There are four Parathyroid glands which are small and rounded,
arranged in two pairs usually located above and below the
thyroid. Each Parathyroid is small, yellow and smooth,
sometimes they imbed themselves in the thyroid itself.
Parathyroid hormone increases the blood
concentrations of calcium and phosphorous, working to balance
the Calcitonin which is secreted by the thyroid to
maintain the body's balance of calcium.
See also Medical Terminology for Cancer: The Endocrine System
The parathyroid gland is located at the base of the neck near the thyroid gland. It produces a hormone called
parathyroid hormone (PTH), which controls how the body stores and uses calcium. Parathyroid cancer is a condition where the cells of the parathyroid gland become malignant (cancerous). Parathyroid cancers are rare; while problems with the parathyroid gland
are common, these are not usually cancer related.
Multilpe endocrine neoplasia (MEN) are rare fimilial (inherited) conditions affecting the glands of the endocrine system:
- Multiple endocrine neoplasia I (MEN type I) also known as Wermer's syndrome
- Multiple endocrine neoplasia IIA (MEN type IIa) also known as Sipple Syndrome
- Multiple endocrine neoplasia IIB (MEN type IIb)
- Familial medullary thyroid carcinoma, (FMTC) is a similar inherited condition were medullary thyroid carcinoma may occur in several family members, though not necessarily with the other endocrine tumours seen in MEN.
MEN I typically affects parathyroid, the pancreas, and the pituitary while MEN IIa and MEN IIb are associated with medullary thyroid carcinoma.
See also Genetic Councelling
See also Thyroid Cancer
See also Pancreatic Cancer
See also MEN1 gene (11q13)
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Cancer Types> Thyroid Cancer