Anaplastic thyroid cancer is the most advanced and aggressive form of thyroid cancer, and it is very rare, occurring in less than 2% of patients with thyroid cancer. It is most commonly found in people over the age of 60. This article will provide an overview of anaplastic thyroid cancer, including its causes, risk factors, and treatments. According to a recent study, women are more than four times more likely than men to receive a diagnosis of small papillary thyroid cancer during their lifetime. However, diagnoses of aggressive and often fatal types of thyroid cancer were nearly equal in men and women.
There were also no real differences between the sexes in small papillary thyroid cancers found at autopsy, which were not detected during life. When thyroid cancer recurs, it is usually found within the first five years after the initial diagnosis. Total thyroidectomy for malignancy can help prevent the development of anaplastic carcinoma. Unfortunately, doctors are less likely to think of thyroid cancer as a possible cause of symptoms reported by men, which can lead to a late diagnosis. You can reduce your risk of developing this type of cancer by making healthy lifestyle choices such as eating well, staying active, and not smoking. Currently, it is not possible to know at the time of screening if any small thyroid cancer will grow and become a problem.
If these cancers are found by chance, any intervention can be overtreatment - therapy for a cancer that would have stayed the same or even become smaller and never caused any symptoms. You can also receive emails from Mayo Clinic with the latest cancer news, research and care. Because thyroid cancer is often diagnosed in younger women, treatment side effects can affect their lives for decades. The SEER database does not group cancers according to AJCC TNM stages (stage 1, stage 2, stage 3, etc.) but tests molecular factors that can help determine if a small thyroid mass is more or less likely to contain cancer. It is not known what causes anaplastic thyroid cancer, but often well-differentiated thyroid cancers can degenerate into anaplastic thyroid cancer. Anaplastic thyroid carcinoma is a rare and very aggressive malignancy that accounts for 2 to 3 percent of all thyroid gland neoplasms.
More research is needed to better understand if thyroid cancer is really a different disease in women and men. The SEER database tracks 5-year relative survival rates for thyroid cancer in the United States based on the extent of the cancer. The thyroid gland is located in the neck and produces thyroid hormone that helps regulate metabolism, heart rate, blood pressure, and body temperature.
