Thyroid cancer

Most commonly presents as an asymptomatic thyroid nodule detected by palpation or ultrasound in a woman in her 30s or 40s.

The most important diagnostic test is fine-needle aspiration.

Treatment is usually total thyroidectomy followed by radioactive iodine ablation and TSH suppression (papillary or follicular).

Treatment differs and must be tailored for uncommon types of thyroid cancer such as medullary, lymphoma, or anaplastic.

Prognosis depends on risk-group stratification.

Four types account for more than 98% of thyroid malignancies: papillary, follicular, anaplastic, and medullary.[1]Gimm O. Thyroid cancer. Cancer Lett. 2001 Feb 26;163(2):143-56. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11165748?tool=bestpractice.com