Thyroid cancer Flashcards
How can thyroid cancers present?
Goiters or nodules
What are the two broad categories of thyroid cancer?
Differentiated and anaplastic
What is an anaplastic tumour?
One wherre cell definition is lacking
Bad prognosis
What are the two main kinds of differentiated thyroid cancer?
Papillary
Follicular
What is the most common thyroid cancer?
Papillary
Pap=popular
How does papillary cancer spread?
Lymphatics
Give two defining features of papillary cancer?
Orphan annie nucli- clear centre to nucli
Psammoma bodies- Swirls of Ca
How if follicular thyroid cancer spread?
Blood
What is a third and very rare thyroid cancer?
Thyroid medullary cancer
What cells are involved in thyroid medullary cancer?
Parafollicular C cells
How do you investigate thyroid cancer?
US
US guided Fine Needle Aspiration to see if cells are normal or not
How do you grade thyroid cancer?
U1- Cyst
U2- Benign
U3/4- Probs cancer
U5- Defo cancer
What do you need to do to someone with U2 graded thyroid nodule?
Monitor them every 6 months
How do you treat thyroid cancer?
Radioiodine
Surgery
