Why Choose Us for Thyroid Cancer Treatment
Huntsman Cancer Institute’s Thyroid Cancer Care Team is at the forefront of personalized thyroid cancer treatment. Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, we tailor treatment plans to the individual, with our multidisciplinary team of experts working closely together to ensure you receive the best possible care.
Our thyroid cancer surgeons are among the most experienced in the region, performing a high volume of surgeries each year and giving you confidence that you're in expert hands. We also offer the latest minimally invasive treatment options, including radiofrequency ablation, to ensure the best outcomes with the least impact on your health.
Specialized Treatments
Our Thyroid Cancer Care Team specializes in personalized treatment plans, providing state-of-the-art, comprehensive care and the most advanced treatments available.
We work closely with each patient to decide which of the following treatments or combination of treatments is best for them:
- Surgery: the removal of the thyroid or part of the thyroid
- Radioactive Iodine Therapy: radiation to target remaining cancer cells
- Watchful Waiting: closely tracking a patient’s condition for changes in symptoms. Also called active surveillance or expectant management
- Targeted Therapy: medications that block specific proteins or genetic changes in thyroid cancer cells to stop them from growing or spreading
- Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA): a nonsurgical, minimally invasive option that uses radio waves to target cancer cells. Huntsman Cancer Institute is one of the only sites in the Mountain West to provide this novel treatment.
Our Expertise
At Huntsman Cancer Institute, our thyroid cancer patients receive expert, personalized care from a collaborative team of experienced surgeons, endocrinologists, radiologists, pathologists, and more.
As a nationally recognized leader in research on the genetic risk of thyroid cancer, we offer cutting-edge molecular diagnostics to combine pathology reviews with genetic testing, particularly for patients with rare and aggressive forms of the disease.
Patient Care Philosophy
We believe no one should face cancer alone. Our dedicated and world-renowned doctors, nurses, and medical staff are at the forefront of patient-centered care. We treat the whole person, not just their cancer.
Each day, our medical, surgical, and radiation oncologists work together across disciplines to create and coordinate treatment plans for every patient. We understand cancer is a complex disease. That is why we use a team approach that includes social workers and support groups, as well as wellness and integrative health services such as acupuncture, massage, creative arts, and more.
Find a Thyroid Cancer Doctor
Thyroid Cancer Research
Huntsman Cancer Institute is a nationally recognized leader in thyroid cancer research. Our clinical trials have shaped the standard of care for anaplastic thyroid cancer, one of the most aggressive forms of the disease. Our researchers also investigate the long-term side effects of thyroid cancer treatment, helping to improve survivorship and quality of life.
We are one of the few cancer centers in the country that offers clinical trials for thyroid cancer, giving patients access to the most innovative treatments available.
Clinical Trials
Make an appointment with a thyroid cancer specialist
To make an appointment with an thyroid cancer specialist, fill out our appointment form or call 801-587-7000. Our team will determine if your insurance covers treatment at Huntsman Cancer Institute or if you need a referral from a primary care doctor.
External providers can refer a patient using the online referral form or by calling 801-587-7000 to speak to a patient registration specialist.
Thyroid Cancer Basics
Thyroid cancer is a disease in which cancerous cells form in the tissues of the thyroid gland. There are four main types of thyroid cancer:
Papillary
The most common type of thyroid cancer (about 80–85% of cases). Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) grows slowly and often spreads to the lymph nodes.
Follicular
The second most common type of thyroid cancer (about 10–15% of cases). Follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) grows slowly and is more likely to spread to bones or the lungs.
Medullary
A rare type of thyroid cancer (less than 5% of cases). Medullary thyroid cancer (MTC) starts in C cells and can be genetic.
Anaplastic
A very rare and aggressive type of thyroid cancer (about 2% of cases). Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) grows and spreads quickly to the neck and other parts of the body.
The Thyroid and Parathyroid Glands
The thyroid gland lies at the base of the throat near the trachea. It is shaped like a butterfly, with the right lobe and left lobe connected by a thin piece of tissue called the isthmus. The parathyroid glands are four pea-sized organs found in the neck near the thyroid. The thyroid and parathyroid glands make hormones.
These are common signs of thyroid cancer:
- A lump (nodule) in the neck
- Difficulty breathing
- Trouble or pain when swallowing
- Hoarseness
Many other health problems can also cause these signs. If you have any of these signs, see your doctor as soon as possible.
A risk factor is anything that increases your chance of getting a disease. Having a risk factor does not mean you are certain to get cancer, but it does mean your chances are higher than the average person. Talk with your doctor to learn more about your personal cancer risk.
These risk factors make a person more likely to develop thyroid cancer:
- Being female
- Being between the ages of 25 and 65
- Having a personal history of thyroid cancer or thyroid disease
- Having a family history of thyroid cancer
- Being exposed to radiation to the head and neck as an infant or ÑÇÖÞ×ÔοÊÓƵ, or being a Downwinder
- Having excess body weight
- Having certain genetic conditions:
- Familial medullary thyroid cancer (FMTC)
- Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2A syndrome (MEN2A)
- Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2B syndrome (MEN2B)
Doctors use these tests to diagnose thyroid cancer:
Physical Exam and History
A health care provider examines your body for signs of disease. Your personal health habits, past illnesses, and symptoms help guide the exam.
Laboratory Tests
Through testing body tissues, blood, urine, or other substances in the body, your health care team can check to see how the thyroid gland and other organs are functioning. They can also look for substances that cells produce when cancer is present.
Ultrasound
This procedure uses high-energy sound waves to create a picture of the thyroid gland.
Biopsy
The health care provider removes cell or tissue samples so they can be viewed under a microscope to check for signs of cancer.
Other Imaging Tests
Using dyes, X-rays, magnets, radio waves, and/or computer technology, your health care provider can create detailed images of internal organs. Your health care provider may inject or have you swallow a dye to help see the images.
Cancer stages show whether cancer has spread within or around the thyroid or to other parts of the body. Cancer spreads in the body in three ways: through tissue, the lymph system, or the blood.
Staging of thyroid cancer depends on the type of thyroid tumor, age, size of tumor, and distance the cancer has spread.
These are the stages used for thyroid cancer:
Differentiated Thyroid Cancer (Papillary & Follicular) Stages
For patients under 55 years old:
- Stage 1—Cancer is in the thyroid and may have spread to nearby tissues and lymph nodes.
- Stage 2—Cancer is in the thyroid and has spread to other parts of the body, like the bones or lungs.
Differentiated Thyroid Cancer (Papillary & Follicular) Stages
For patients 55 and older:
- Stage 1—A tumor is 4 centimeters or smaller and is present in the thyroid only.
- Stage 2—A tumor is in the thyroid, is 4 centimeters or smaller, and the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes; or the tumor is larger than 4 centimeters and the cancer may have spread to the lymph nodes; or the tumor is any size and the cancer has spread to nearby muscles in the neck and may have spread to the lymph nodes.
- Stage 3—The cancer has spread from the thyroid to the esophagus, the larynx, the recurrent laryngeal nerve, soft tissue, or the trachea, and may have spread to the lymph nodes.
- Stage 4:
- Stage 4A—The cancer has spread to tissues in front of the spine, or has surrounded the carotid artery or blood vessels in between the lungs, and may have spread to the lymph nodes.
- Stage 4B—The cancer has spread to other parts of the body, like the lungs or bones, and may have spread to the lymph nodes.
Medullary Thyroid Cancer Stages
- Stage 1—Cancer is in the thyroid, and the tumor is 2 centimeters or smaller.
- Stage 2—Cancer is in the thyroid, and the tumor is larger than 2 centimeters; or the tumor has spread to nearby neck muscles.
- Stage 3—Cancer has spread to lymph nodes on the trachea or larynx
- Stage 4:
- Stage 4A—Cancer has spread to the esophagus, the larynx, the recurrent laryngeal nerve, soft tissues under the skin, or the trachea; or the cancer has spread to the neck muscles.
- Stage 4B—Cancer has spread to the tissue in front of the spine, the spine, the carotid artery, or the blood vessels between the lungs.
- Stage 4C—Cancer has spread to other parts of the body, like the liver or lungs.
Anaplastic Thyroid Cancer Stages
- Stage 4A—Cancer is only in the thyroid.
- Stage 4B—Cancer has spread to nearby lymph nodes, neck muscles, the esophagus, the larynx, the recurrent laryngeal nerve, soft tissues under the skin, or the trachea.
- Stage 4C—Cancer has spread to other parts of the body, like the bones or lungs.
When cancer spreads from where it started to another part of the body, it is called metastasis. These metastatic cancer cells are the same type of cancer as the primary tumor. For example, if thyroid cancer spreads to the bone, the cancer cells in the bone are actually thyroid cancer cells. The disease is metastatic thyroid cancer, not bone cancer.
