EDUCATION

Symptoms are not apparent with early thyroid cancer. Changes to the thyroid are often only found during exams or tests for other conditions.

In later stages, lumps may appear in the neck. The lumps may or may not cause pain. In some people, the lumps may grow fast. The lumps may press on nearby tissue and cause:

  • Neck pain, which may shoot up to the jaw and ears
  • Neck tightness or swelling
  • Hoarseness or other changes to voice
  • Persistent cough
  • Shortness of breath
  • Difficulty swallowing
REFERENCES:

Anaplastic thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:https://www.dynamed.com/condition/anaplastic-thyroid-cancer. Updated June 29, 2018. Accessed December 8, 2018.

General information about thyroid cancer. National Cancer Institute website. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/thyroid/patient/thyroid-treatment-pdq. Updated August 18, 2017. Accessed December 8, 2018.

Follicular thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:https://www.dynamed.com/condition/follicular-thyroid-cancer-21. Updated June 27, 2017. Accessed December 8, 2018.

Medullary thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:hhttps://www.dynamed.com/condition/medullary-thyroid-cancer. Updated June 29, 2018. Accessed December 8, 2018.

Papillary thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:https://www.dynamed.com/condition/papillary-thyroid-cancer. Updated August 15, 2018. Accessed December 8, 2018.

Signs and symptoms of thyroid cancer. American Cancer Society website. Available at: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/thyroid-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/signs-symptoms.html. Updated April 15, 2016. Accessed December 8, 2018.

Thyroid cancer (papillary and follicular). American Thyroid Association website. Available at: https://www.thyroid.org/thyroid-cancer.Accessed December 8, 2018.

Last reviewed September 2018 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Mohei Abouzied, MD, FACP  Last Updated: 12/23/2020