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Head Medicine

Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer is one of the rarer types of cancer. Around 750 people are diagnosed with thyroid cancer in Switzerland every year. Thyroid cancer can also manifest at a younger age. It affects women more often: around three quarters of thyroid cancer patients are women.

The thyroid is located under the larynx and produces hormones that are important for the body’s metabolic processes. In earlier times, a lack of iodine often caused a benign enlargement in the thyroid gland known as a goitre. Thanks to the iodine added to cooking salt, this disease has virtually disappeared in Switzerland. It is important to distinguish between thyroid cancer and benign changes in the thyroid gland.

Thyroid cancer (thyroid carcinoma) is a malignant tumour in the thyroid. Thyroid cancers are grouped according to the characteristics of the tumour and the appearance of the cancer cells under the microscope. The papillary and follicular forms grow slowly and are less aggressive. These two types of cancer are fortunately far more common than the aggressive form of thyroid cancer known as medullary thyroid cancer.

You can contact our Hirslanden Thyroid Centre for clarifications relating to your thyroid gland.