How is papillary thyroid carcinoma staged? What are the symptoms of papillary thyroid carcinoma?

Stage I papillary thyroid tumors are confined to the thyroid capsule, stage II may cause unilateral or bilateral lymph node enlargement. Stage III tumors penetrate the thyroid capsule but do not metastasize to distant sites, while stage IV tumors may metastasize to distant sites.

1. Phase I

The mass is small and generally cannot be felt by hand. There is a single nodule in the thyroid gland, and the appearance of the nodule hardly changes, and the nodule movement is not restricted. Lymph nodes are not palpable in the surrounding area, and there is no distant metastasis. The tumor is confined to the thyroid capsule, and there is no lymph node metastasis.

2. Phase II

There may be unilateral or bilateral lymph node enlargement, but the mobility of the lymph nodes will not be too restricted and distant metastasis will not occur.

3. Phase III

The thyroid gland mass will penetrate the thyroid capsule and may be fixed, but it may also invade surrounding tissues. Lymph nodes are obviously enlarged and fixed, and there will be no distant metastasis.

4. Phase 4

Stage IV papillary thyroid cancer is the most serious and has already metastasized to distant parts of the body, including the bones, brain, lungs, and kidneys.