What is the Thyroid Cancer Survival Rate?

Learning that you have cancer of any type is very scary. Some doctors and even other patients will sometimes try to reassure patients with thyroid cancer that it is a "good cancer," and so they have nothing to fear. Unfortunately, that can make some patients feel dismissed or even feel that their cancer is not being taken seriously. At the Russell Center, we realize that no cancer is a good cancer. Instead, we try to use data to help you understand what your personal risk is so that you can make the best decisions about how to treat it.

So what is the thyroid cancer survival rate? The biggest factor affecting the survival rate of thyroid cancer is the type of cancer that you might have. The American Cancer Society has a webpage with some excellent information about the prognosis of thyroid cancer. As you look at the different tables, you will see that the survival rates for "differentiated" thyroid cancer are much better than those of anaplastic thyroid cancer. Let's dig into each of the different types of cancer and review the survival rate.

Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma (PTC) is the most common type of thyroid cancer, and has the best prognosis. When it is small, it is known as Papillary Thyroid Micro Carcinoma (PTMC), which has an especially good prognosis. In these scenarios, surgery is not always required. Patients could instead choose Active Surveillance. Even when the cancer is larger, the survival rate of papillary thyroid cancer is usually over 99%. In other situations, such as when a patient is older or if the thyroid cancer has spread, the prognosis can be worse. However, the data listed above on the American Cancer Society webpage likely does not represent all of the improvements in prognosis that have come due to newer treatments that are available at centers of excellence such as the Russell Center. In other words, papillary thyroid carcinoma has an excellent prognosis in almost all situations, and we are usually worried about making sure that we don't impact your quality of life significantly during treatment.

Follicular Thyroid Carcinoma is another differentiated thyroid cancer that also has an excellent prognosis and survival rate that is about 99% for the first 5 years after being diagnosed. While early follicular thyroid cancer has a survival rate that rivals that of PTC, it is noteworthy that it does become more concerning once it starts to spread. This is because the spread of FTC is more likely to occur via the blood, meaning that the cancer can go to distant sites such as lung that are much harder to treat. Also, some of the newer therapies can be less effective against follicular thyroid carcinoma, and so the survival rate is not quite as high. Included in this group, at least historically, are patients who have Oncocytic (Hurtle) Cell Carcinoma, which is one of the hardest types of thyroid cancer to treat.

Next, we come to Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma. The survival rate of this kind of thyroid cancer continues to be worse than the other types of differentiated thyroid cancer, because it is a different cell type than the other thyroid cancers. While the 5-year survival rate remains above 99% for early MTC, the long-term survival rate may be slightly worse. It is common to have syndromes and other causes of MTC that require a high-volume surgeon to make sure you get the best outcome. Because the best initial surgery is the key to having the best thyroid cancer survival rate.

Finally, we come to poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma. The prognosis for these cancers is much worse, and it is VERY important that you work with a team that has experience in managing these conditions such as the Russell Center. Fortunately, the survival rate of these cancers has seen a large jump in the last decade as newer targeted therapies have come forward.

With all of these conditions, the recurrence rate can be somewhat high even in the best of situations. Having a high-volume, experienced surgeon gives you the best chance at having the best thyroid cancer survival rate. Talk to the Russell Center today to see how we can help.