The material does not necessarily reflect the current or past opinions of members of the UTMB faculty and should not be used for purposes of diagnosis or treatment without consulting appropriate literature sources and informed professional opinion. Papillary and follicular carcinomas are considered well differentiated tumors with an overall good prognosis. Medullary and anaplastic are less differentiated and tend to be aggressive. In this paper I will review the characteristics of these different tumors with regard to their epidemiology, histology, prognosis, operative treatment, and postoperative care. The patients history may provide an index of suspicion for malignancy.
Woman have a better prognosis when compared to men with the same pathological entity.
Tumors arising as a result of radiation exposure tend to be larger and multicentric and have a higher rate of local recurrence than other tumors. They often show lymphocytic infiltration or Hashimotos disease. The carcinoma may present up to 30 years after radiation exposure and is more common in women. Family history can be indicative of an MEN syndrome. If the gland appears otherwise normal the nodule is most likely an adenoma or carcinoma.