Thyroid cancer is 3 to 4 times more common in females than in males. Papillary thyroid cancer is the most common form of thyroid cancer.
The symptoms of thyroid cancer are often vague and are similar in people of any sex. However, thyroid cancer is often detected at an earlier age in females than in males.
This article will discuss the symptoms of thyroid cancer in females. It will also explore testing, treatment, and disease outlook (prognosis).
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A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology
Verywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.
First Symptoms of Thyroid Cancer in Females
Females typically are diagnosed with thyroid cancer during their reproductive years through to their early 40s. The peak age at diagnosis for females ranges from 40 to 44. In contrast, males usually get thyroid cancer when they're older. The average age of thyroid cancer onset for males is 70 to 74.
Many common symptoms of this condition result from other health conditions, including those that affect the thyroid like goiters and Graves' disease.
Thyroid cancer symptoms that are common in both males and females include:
- A painless neck lump (nodule) in the front of the neck
- Swollen lymph nodes in the neck
- Neck pain, which may migrate to the ears
- Hoarseness
- Persistent cough
- Voice changes
- Trouble breathing
- Trouble swallowing
- Fatigue
Small subclinical papillary thyroid cancerous tumors are more likely to be identified and diagnosed early in females than in males. Because these tumors are so small, they often escape detection unless they're actively looked for. It's unclear why subclinical tumors are uncovered more often in females than in males.
If you've noticed changes to your menstrual period or symptoms like hot flashes that are commonly associated with menopause, you may be concerned that you have thyroid cancer. However, these types of symptoms are not commonly associated with thyroid cancer. Hot flashes can be caused by medullary thyroid cancer (a rare form of thyroid cancer) and affect people of any sex.
The thyroid produces hormones that help to control ovulation and the menstrual cycle. Unlike thyroid diseases like hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), thyroid cancer does not cause changes to ovulation or menstruation.
Common Thyroid Cancers in Women
Four main types of thyroid cancer may affect females. They are:
- Papillary: The most common type of thyroid cancer and the most common cancer overall diagnosed in women under 25
- Follicular: Most common in women over 40
- Medullary: The rarest form of thyroid cancer
- Anaplastic: Most common in women over 60
Symptoms Without a Thyroid Cancer Diagnosis
You can have thyroid cancer symptoms without having thyroid cancer. Not every neck lump is cancerous. Thyroid nodules may be caused by multiple conditions, both benign and malignant.
Papillary thyroid cancer can grow slowly and present with mild symptoms. It's possible to have thyroid cancer for months or even years without knowing or being diagnosed.
In contrast, anaplastic thyroid cancer, a less common type, is aggressive and grows quickly. This type of cancer may cause a large throat lump to form, seemingly out of nowhere, within weeks or months.
Being Asymptomatic at Diagnosis
Thyroid cancer symptoms are often subtle, and may be overlooked. It's possible to have a thyroid nodule that is cancerous, and not be aware of it for some time.
Most thyroid cancers are asymptomatic (with few or no symptoms). For that reason, you may not know—and be surprised—that you have a thyroid condition when you first get diagnosed. Keep in mind, though, that thyroid cancer is highly treatable and often curable.
Conditions Diagnosed Instead of Thyroid Cancer
If you do have symptoms, such as a neck lump, they're more likely to be caused by conditions other than thyroid cancer, such as:
- Viral or bacterial infection
- Goiter
- Graves' disease
- Hyperthyroidism
- Hypothyroidism
- Allergic reaction
- Salivary gland tumor
- Hashimoto's disease
Testing to Diagnose Thyroid Cancer in Women
Symptoms of thyroid cancer, like a throat lump or swollen lymph nodes, are sometimes discovered during a routine physical exam. If you or your healthcare provider suspects thyroid cancer, additional testing will be done.
Your healthcare provider will ask you about your symptoms. They'll also want to know if you have a family history of thyroid cancer and other conditions that are associated with thyroid disease. They'll also ask about potential risk factors you may have, like exposure to radiation, especially in childhood.
Your provider will make note of your body mass index (BMI), since thyroid cancer risk increases with excess weight.
Tests for thyroid cancer in females include:
- Ultrasound: Imaging using sound waves is used to determine if a neck lump is firm and likely to be cancerous or cyst-like and filled with fluid.
- Radioiodine scan: This imaging test assesses neck lumps for some types of thyroid cancer and other thyroid conditions.
- Positron-emission tomography (PET) scan: This type of imaging checks for spread to nearby lymph nodes and other areas.
- Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): This imaging test analyzes the thyroid gland and checks for nearby or distant spread
- Computed tomography (CT) scan: This scan assesses the size and location of tumors.
- Chest X-ray: This imaging test checks for spread into the lungs.
- Blood tests: Thyroid function tests are used to detect or rule out other forms of thyroid disease.
- Biopsy: A biopsy is needed to make a definitive diagnosis of cancer.
In a biopsy, a tissue sample will be removed and analyzed in a laboratory for evidence of malignancy. Usually, a fine needle aspiration technique will be used to extract cells from the suspicious nodule.
How to Treat Thyroid Cancer and Manage Symptoms
If you're diagnosed with thyroid cancer, the type of cancer you have and the extent of spread (if any) will determine your treatment. The most common area of thyroid cancer spread is to nearby lymph nodes in the neck.
If you're asymptomatic and have a slow-growing cancer, your healthcare provider may recommend watchful waiting, with ongoing monitoring rather than aggressive treatment.
The most common form of treatment for thyroid cancer is surgical removal of all or part of the thyroid gland. If the malignancy has spread to lymph nodes in the neck, they will also be removed surgically, usually at the same time,
If your entire thyroid gland is removed (thyroidectomy), you will be placed on thyroid hormone pills that mimic the thyroid's function.
Chemotherapy is not commonly used for most types of thyroid cancer. It may, however, be recommended, along with external beam radiation therapy, for anaplastic thyroid cancer in some instances.
If the cancer has spread to the neck or other areas of the body, a nonsurgical procedure called radioiodine (RAI) therapy may be recommended. During this procedure, you will be given radioactive iodine in either pill, liquid, or injectable form.
If these procedures aren't effective, kinase inhibitors, a type of targeted therapy drug, may be used, depending on the characteristics of the cancer. Kinases are a type of protein found in cells. Their job is to relay signals that tell the cell how to behave and grow. Blocking kinases can sometimes help with cancer treatment.
Thyroid Cancer Prognosis and Treatment Success
Most types of thyroid cancer are highly treatable and even curable. The overall five-year relative survival rate for all types of thyroid cancer combined is 98.4%.
The type of thyroid cancer you have and the stage it is in will determine your potential prognosis. Keep in mind that these numbers are just estimates that don't reflect the experiences of every person with thyroid cancer. They're also based on the treatments used at least five years ago.
Localized Thyroid Cancer
Papillary, follicular, and medullary thyroid cancers all have a 99.5% five-year relative survival rate for localized cancers that haven't spread outside of the thyroid.
Anaplastic thyroid cancer, the most aggressive type, has a much lower five-year survival rate of 39% for localized cancers.
Regional Thyroid Cancer
If your cancer has spread to nearby regions (regional spread), the relative five-year survival rates dip slightly for papillary, follicular, and medullary cancers but significantly for anaplastic cancer:
- Papillary: 99%
- Follicular: 98%
- Medullary: 92%
- Anaplastic: 11%.
Distant Thyroid Cancer
if the cancer has metastasized (spread) to distant areas of the body, the five-year survival rates are as follows:
- Papillary: 74%
- Follicular: 67%
- Medullary: 43%
- Anaplastic: 4%
Summary
Thyroid cancer is around 3 to 4 times more common in females than in males. Women tend to be diagnosed at an earlier age than men with this disease.
Thyroid cancer symptoms are often subtle and may go unnoticed for extended periods of time. A painless lump, swollen neck lymph nodes, or neck pain may be symptoms.
Most forms of thyroid cancer, including papillary cancer (the most common type), are highly treatable and curable. The exception is anaplastic thyroid cancer, which is highly aggressive but less common.
