Signs and Symptoms of Thyroid Cancer
Thyroid cancer can cause any of the following signs or symptoms:
- A lump in the front of the neck, sometimes growing quickly
- Swelling in the neck
- Pain in the front of the neck, sometimes going up to the ears
- Hoarseness or other voice changes that do not go away
- Trouble swallowing
- Trouble breathing
- A constant cough that is not due to a cold
- A lump (or lumps) on the side of the neck
Many of these symptoms can also be caused by non-cancerous conditions or even other cancers of the neck area.
Lumps in the thyroid are common and are usually not cancer. Still, if you have any of these symptoms, it’s important to see a doctor so the cause can be found and treated, if needed.
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- References
The American Cancer Society medical and editorial content team
Our team is made up of doctors and oncology certified nurses with deep knowledge of cancer care as well as editors and translators with extensive experience in medical writing.
Asban A, Patel AJ, Reddy S, Wang T, Balentine CJ, Chen H. Chapter 68: Cancer of the Endocrine System. In: Niederhuber JE, Armitage JO, Doroshow JH, Kastan MB, Tepper JE, eds. Abeloff’s Clinical Oncology. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa. Elsevier: 2020.
National Cancer Institute. Thyroid Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)–Patient Version. 2023. Accessed at https://www.cancer.gov/types/thyroid/patient/thyroid-treatment-pdq on February 21, 2024.
Tuttle RM. Papillary thyroid cancer: Clinical features and prognosis. UpToDate. 2024. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/papillary-thyroid-cancer-clinical-features-and-prognosis on February 12, 2024.
Last Revised: August 23, 2024
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