Stages of Medullary Thyroid Cancer: 7 Things You Need to Know

Medullary thyroid cancer represents 3 percent to 4 percent of all thyroid cancers. The main symptom is a mass in the neck or thyroid. Survival rates for medullary thyroid cancer are 86 percent at 5 years and 65 percent at 10 years.

Here are some things you should know about medullary thyroid cancer and its stages.

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1. About 25 percent of medullary thyroid cancer cases are familial in nature, according to WebMD. Familial cases may be more likely to have other endocrine tumors, a condition known as neuroendocrine nepoplasia.

2. People with a family history of medullary thyroid cancer can undergo genetic testing, and if they are gene carriers, can have a thyroidectomy at an early age to prevent development of the cancer.

3. According to Endocrine Web, several types of medullary thyroid cancers have a peak onset in patients’ 30s, but most of this type of cancer occurs between age 40 and 60. Treatment is a complete thyroidectomy as well as a central neck dissection, which removes all lymph nodes and fatty tissues in the central part of the neck, along with removal of lymph nodes and fatty tissues on the side of the neck that contained the tumor.

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4. In Stage I, the tumor is smaller than 2 centimeters, according to the American Cancer Society.

5. In Stage II, the tumor is over 2 to 3 centimeters with no spread to other parts of the body, or larger than 4 centimeters but with minimal extension outside the thyroid.

6. In Stage III, the tumor can be any size and has metastasized to the tracheal area and tissues close to the laryngeal area and the Delphian lymph nodes.

7. Stage IV is divided into three categories: IVA is moderately advanced and may have metastasized to lymph nodes only; IVB is very advanced and may have metastasized to lymph nodes only; and IFC has metastasized to areas beyond the lymph nodes.

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