HERSHEY, Pa. — Tom Murphy, a 54-year-old from East Petersburg, was driving home from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, late last summer when his friend urged him to see a doctor about his persistent cough.
Murphy went to his primary care physician. As she checked his neck, she paused. Suddenly, Murphy recalled something.
"There were times before when I felt like there might be a bump on the left side of my neck, but nothing that really jumped out," he says. "I thought maybe it was just a muscle."
His doctor felt a lump there, too. It signaled a bigger problem unrelated to his cough. Imaging tests and a biopsy confirmed it — the lump was thyroid cancer.
"Sometimes people overlook thyroid cancer symptoms because they assume it's nothing or they're too young for cancer," said Emily Funk, head and neck surgical oncologist and microvascular reconstructive surgeon at Penn State Health Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery. "It's always worth getting evaluated because the earlier you identify thyroid cancer, the easier it is to treat."
The American Cancer Society estimates that about 44,020 Americans have been or will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer by the end of 2025. About 2,290 will die from it.
September is Thyroid Cancer Awareness Month. Here's what you need to know.
What is thyroid cancer?
Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland toward the front of your neck, just under your Adam's apple. What does the thyroid do? A lot. It secretes hormones that regulate body temperature and metabolism.
"It acts like the body's thermometer," Funk said.
Thyroid cancer develops when thyroid cells mutate and multiply. Some risk factors include high radiation exposure or some inherited genetic mutations. However, the cause of most cases is unknown.
Thyroid cancer is classified into four types:
- Papillary thyroid cancer: Makes up 8 in 10 thyroid cancers and is the most treatable. This the type that Murphy had.
- Follicular thyroid cancer: Makes up 1 in 10 thyroid cancers. It's more likely to spread, making treatment more difficult.
- Medullary thyroid cancer: Less than 5% of thyroid cancers, affecting the thyroid's C cells, which regulate calcium.
- Anaplastic thyroid cancer: Makes up 2% of thyroid cancers. It can grow and spread quickly.
Who’s at risk?
Thyroid cancer is an uncommon cancer overall, but one of the most common among young adults. The average age at diagnosis is 51.
"I see many patients with thyroid cancers in their 30s, 40s and 50s," Funk said. "While not common, we sometimes see it in teenagers, too."
Thyroid cancer is three times more common in women than in men. It’s 40% to 50% less common in Black people than in any other racial or ethnic group.
How is thyroid cancer detected?
A painless lump or neck swelling is the most common symptom. Some people also notice hoarseness or trouble swallowing.
Murphy's experience, where a doctor notices a lump during a checkup for something else, isn't unusual, Funk said. Many thyroid tumors are found during X-rays or CT scans for unrelated issues.
Once a nodule is detected, an ultrasound test is used to see it more clearly. Next is a biopsy. A small sample of tumor cells is collected and analyzed in a lab to confirm whether the growth is benign or cancerous.