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Thyroid cancer - papillary carcinoma - Overview

Alternative Names

Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid

Definition of Thyroid cancer - papillary carcinoma:

Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is the most common cancer of the thyroid gland.

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

About 75-85% of all thyroid cancers diagnosed in the United States are papillary carcinoma. It is more common in women than in men. It may occur in childhood, but is typically seen in people between ages 20 and 40.

The cause of this cancer is unknown. A genetic defect may be involved.

High-dose external radiation to the neck increases the risk of developing thyroid cancer. Papillary thyroid cancer in children has also been linked to atomic bomb testing in the Marshall Islands and the 1986 Chernobyl nuclear disaster in the Ukraine.

Radiation given through a vein (through an IV) during medical tests and treatments does NOT increase the risk of developing thyroid cancer.

Endocrine glands

Thyroid cancer - CT scan

Thyroid enlargement - scintiscan

Thyroid gland

Reviewed last on: 3/21/2008
Stephen Grund, M.D. Ph.D., Chief of Hematology/Oncology and Director of the George Bray Cancer Center at New Britain General Hospital, New Britain, CT. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

References

Larsen PR, Kronberg HM, Schlomo M, et al. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 10th ed. St. Louis, MO: WB Saunders; 2003:469-473.

Hemminki K. Familial risks for nonmedullary thyroid cancer. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2005; 90(10): 5747-5753.

Kumar V, Abbas AK, Fausto N. Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease. 7th ed. St. Louis, MO: WB Saunders; 2005:1177-1180.

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