Follicular carcinoma of thyroid is the second most common type of thyroid cancer. Papillary carcinoma is the most common type of thyroid carcinoma that accounts for 80% of cases and which makes together with follicular carcinoma the two most common types of differentiated follicular carcinoma. Other types of cancers that affect the thyroid are Hürthle cell carcinoma, medullary thyroid carcinoma, anaplastic carcinoma, thyroid lymphoma, and thyroid sarcoma. Follicular papillary carcinoma accounts for over 85% of thyroid cancers.
Follicular thyroid carcinoma is also referred to as follicular cancer or follicular adenocarcinoma. It accounts for 10% of thyroid cancers and it is more common in countries where individuals do not get enough iodine. Whereas follicular carcinomas are mostly non invasive which means that they remain in the thyroid gland, they may spread to other organs of the body such as lungs, bones, brain, liver, skin or bladder. Invading the lymph nodes is usually very uncommon as this occurs in 8 to 13% of follicular thyroid carcinoma cases. It is a more aggressive type of cancer comparing to papillary carcinoma and it tends to occur in older people and very rarely in children.
Differentiated follicular carcinoma is the cancers that start in the follicular cells. It is called differentiated because the cancerous cells in this type of cancer look the same as normal, healthy thyroid cells when they are looked at under the microscope. These cells may be classified as well, moderately and poorly differentiated.
Most of the thyroid carcinomas may be found in early stages and treated successfully. Follicular cancer diagnose is established based on the patient’s symptoms, medical history, physical exam and a biopsy. Imaging tests such as chest x-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans, MRIs, nuclear medicine scans, radioiodine scan, positron emission tomography, and an octreotide scan may provide valuable information on how large the tumor is and whether it has spread. The laboratory blood tests cannot conclude whether the cells are cancerous but the function of the thyroid may be tested by checking the levels of TSH, T3 and T4 hormones. Thyroid cancer symptoms include the existence of a nodule or lump in the neck that tends to grow rapidly, pain in the front of the neck and sometimes trouble swallowing. Most of the patients experience breathing problems and continuous couch with no known cause.
Follicular cancer may occur in both women and men but it is more common in women over 50 years old. Unlike most types of cancer, thyroid cancer is almost always treatable due to the fact that it is growing slowly and is associated with a good prognosis. Average mortality rates are slightly higher in women than in men meaning 1.5% in women and 1.4% in men. Follicular cancer rarely metastasizes. The 5 years survival rate is up to 97% but it may vary depending on the stage, size and location of the tumor along with the age and general health of the patient.
Follicular carcinoma of thyroid is one of the least deadly cancers that accounts for 10% of thyroid cancers and that is the second most common type of thyroid carcinoma, after papillary carcinoma.