
Papillary is the most common kind of thyroid cancer. Its prognosis depends on a number of factors. Read on to know more about them…
There are a number of methods to predict the stages of cancer. They take into consideration a number of characteristics. Among important methods used to determine prognosis, age is the most important factor. It is seen that if a young patient has been diagnosed with this disease, s/he very rarely succumbs to it, even if the surrounding lymph nodes are affected. The other factors that come into play are the metastasis, size of the tumor, etc.
A patient with tumors less than 4 cm in size, which are only seen in the neck, survive for more than 20 years. The statistics say that more than 90% of the patients are able to survive this type of cancer. With the advancement in diagnosis and treatment methods, the survival rate has drastically gone up.
Stage I
People diagnosed under the age 45 normally have stage I cancer. The cancer in this stage is not present in the nearby lymph nodes. The size of the tumor is often less than 2 cm.
Stage II
The size of the tumor is more than 2 cm but less than 4 cm. It is still local, and doesn’t metastasize.
Stage III
The tumor can grow larger than 4 cm, or it can also grow outside the thyroid gland, however, it does not spread to lymph nodes located nearby or even to distant parts of the body. Another possibility is that the tumor can be of any size, but can spread to other organs and/or lymph nodes situated nearby.
Stage IV
The stage 4 prognosis of papillary thyroid cancer is divided into three parts. In stage IV A, the tumor can grow to any size, and also metastasizes relatively rapidly. There is a possibility that the disease has spread to the lymph nodes. In stage IV B, the disease has progressed and has made its way either into the spine or blood vessels located close by. Lymph nodes may or may not be affected, but the disease has not yet spread to distant sites. In stage IV C, it metastasizes to distant organs.
Depending on the condition of the patient, radioactive iodine treatment or low -iodine diet, etc., are recommended to the patient. As mentioned before, the prognosis for papillary thyroid cancer is much better than other types of cancer. Hence, it is important not to get worried too much, and to seek medical attention in time. With the right treatment, getting rid of the disease is very much possible.