What is Tall Cell Variant of Papillary Thyroid Cancer, and Should I be Worried?

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) is the 5th most common cancer in women, and Tall Cell Variant is a common subtype. One of these subtypes of PTC, Tall Cell Variant, is common and is slightly more aggressive. Here are 5 things you should know about Tall Cell Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma from a world expert on thyroid cancer.

1- Tall Cell Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma is common. Affecting up to 20% of patients with PTC, Tall Cell Variant is one of the most common subtypes of PTC. It usually has an excellent prognosis.

2- Tall Cell Variant and Tall Cell Features are different. Both of these describe changes to the cancerous cells when examined under a microscope. The Tall Cell phrase is a description of how the cells look when magnified- they are taller than normal thyroid cancer cells. The term Tall Cell Variant describes only cancers in which at least 30% of the cells are taller, whereas Tall Cell Features describes a finding in which the tall cells represent fewer than 30% of the cancer cells. While Tall Cell Variant PTC has been found to be slightly more aggressive, Tall Cell features do not seem to have this same behavior.

3- Even though it has an excellent prognosis, Tall Cell Variant of PTC is more likely to come back (recur) than Classic PTC. While recurrences aren't common with thyroid cancer, they can be more common in Tall Cell Variant. If it does come back, it's more likely to come back in the neck, near where your original surgery or treatment took place.

4- Tall Cell Variant of Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma is associated with the BRAF v600e mutation. This mutation, when present, has been associated with a relatively lower response to radioactive iodine (RAI). In other words, Tall Cell Papillary Thyroid Cancer might not respond as well to RAI.

5- We usually don't know who has Tall Cell Variant Thyroid Cancer before we remove the thyroid. At the Russell Center, we pride ourselves on offering many different options for thyroid treatment, including non-surgical management of small thyroid cancers. While these can work extremely well, save the thyroid, and be great options for many patients, it is important to note that they don't provide a diagnosis of these different subtypes of thyroid cancer, like Tall Cell Variant. A diagnostic scarless thyroid lobectomy can be another option to determine if a small cancer has a more aggressive mutation such as can be found with tall cell variant.

If you have been diagnosed with PTC and are worried about Tall Cell Variant, give us a call or send us a message. We are the leaders in minimally invasive management of thyroid tumors in the United States, and Dr Russell lectures about this topic around the world. While this article does not constitute medical advice, you should discuss any questions that you might have with your doctor, or give us a call.