Clinical presentation varies according to the type of malignancy. An asymptomatic thyroid mass and cervical lymphadenopathy are common signs. Less frequently, patients may exhibit hoarseness or signs of tracheal or esophageal compression. The most important means of diagnosing thyroid cancer is fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the suspicious nodule. Radionuclide scans can also provide information about whether the mass is able to concentrate iodine in the same way as the normal thyroid gland.
Surgery is the treatment of choice.
A near total or total thyroidectomy is performed on most patients. Patients are given exogenous thyroid hormone to prevent hypothyroidism postoperatively. This treatment is not used in for medullary or anaplastic tumors because they do not concentrate this radioisotope. Side effects of this treatment include inflammation of the salivary glands, nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and bone marrow suppression. Chemotherapy is used mostly for the treatment of advanced thyroid cancer.