What are the early symptoms of thyroid cancer?

Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
Updated on June 28, 2025
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Patients with thyroid cancer often have few early clinical symptoms. In early stages, most patients primarily notice a rapidly growing thyroid mass. These masses are generally small, and since they do not compress the surrounding tissues or nerves, they are usually painless. Furthermore, the masses are quite firm and typically have poor mobility. As the mass develops and becomes adherent to surrounding tissues, its mobility decreases, potentially becoming fixed in position. This may result in the mass affecting nearby tissues, causing symptoms such as pain and fever due to adhesion. Additionally, a small subset of specific types of thyroid cancer may present with abnormal hormone secretion symptoms.

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Written by Cui Fang Bo
Oncology
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What are the early symptoms of thyroid cancer?

The most common clinical symptom of thyroid cancer in its early stages is an abnormal lump in the neck. Additionally, some patients may experience symptoms related to abnormal thyroid function. Thyroid cancer is currently a malignant tumor with a relatively high incidence rate globally and in China. There are four pathological types of thyroid cancer: papillary carcinoma, follicular carcinoma, undifferentiated carcinoma, and medullary carcinoma. Among these, papillary carcinoma is the most common and has the best prognosis. For patients presenting with an abnormal neck lump and thyroid function abnormalities, the diagnosis of thyroid cancer should be considered. Diagnosis can be confirmed through tissue obtained by biopsy or surgical excision for pathological examination. For patients with confirmed diagnoses of thyroid cancer, surgery is the preferred treatment method.

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Written by Gong Chun
Oncology
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How is thyroid cancer caused?

The causes of thyroid cancer are similar to those of most other malignancies. The etiology of thyroid cancer is not yet clear, but some factors are found to be associated with its occurrence: The first is neck radiation. The thyroid is an endocrine organ, sensitive to radiation. Radiation exposure can potentially cause thyroid cells to become cancerous, especially in those who received high doses of neck radiation in childhood and are more susceptible to thyroid cancer. The second factor is genetics; some thyroid cancers have a clear genetic predisposition, the most typical being medullary thyroid cancer. The third point is that the rapid increase in the incidence rate of thyroid cancer is partly due to the advancement in early diagnostic techniques, allowing for the detection of many early-stage lesions. Of course, iodine intake has already been shown to be related to some benign thyroid conditions. However, its relationship with thyroid cancer requires further study.

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Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
49sec home-news-image

What are the early symptoms of thyroid cancer?

Patients with thyroid cancer often have few early clinical symptoms. In early stages, most patients primarily notice a rapidly growing thyroid mass. These masses are generally small, and since they do not compress the surrounding tissues or nerves, they are usually painless. Furthermore, the masses are quite firm and typically have poor mobility. As the mass develops and becomes adherent to surrounding tissues, its mobility decreases, potentially becoming fixed in position. This may result in the mass affecting nearby tissues, causing symptoms such as pain and fever due to adhesion. Additionally, a small subset of specific types of thyroid cancer may present with abnormal hormone secretion symptoms.

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home-news-image
Written by Gong Chun
Oncology
1min 2sec home-news-image

Late-stage symptoms of thyroid cancer

Differentiated thyroid cancer, in its advanced stages, can exhibit noticeable symptoms due to large nodules or invasion of surrounding organs. For example, a massive nodule pressing on the trachea can cause breathing difficulties, including respiratory distress. Compression of the esophagus can lead to swallowing difficulties, and pressure on the recurrent laryngeal nerve may result in symptoms like hoarseness. Even very few benign thyroid nodules can cause edema and inflammation by compressing these nerves. Therefore, differentiation and distinctive treatment are essential, along with a pathological diagnosis. Medullary thyroid cancer also presents specific symptoms, including persistent diarrhea, endocrine syndromes, and other accompanying conditions such as pheochromocytoma, multiple mucosal neuromas, and symptoms and signs caused by parathyroid adenomas.

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Written by Yan Chun
Oncology
1min 4sec home-news-image

What are the early symptoms of thyroid cancer?

Thyroid cancer is a common malignant tumor in the head and neck area. The early symptoms of thyroid cancer are highly atypical, and many patients do not present clear early symptoms. Often, patients discover painless nodules in the thyroid incidentally during physical examinations; these nodules can move up and down with swallowing motions. In a minority of cases, when the nodules of early-stage thyroid cancer are large, they can cause hoarseness or coughing and choking when drinking water. Some patients might experience intermittent, hidden pain in the thyroid area during the early stages, which often resolves on its own without treatment. Besides these, in its early stages, thyroid cancer may not present other obvious symptoms. As the condition progresses, significant clinical symptoms appear only when the tumor invades surrounding structures or metastasizes to distant sites.