Life expectancy
Life expectancy after thyroid cancer is generally speaking good but varies depending on the type of cancer. For the particularly common papillary thyroid cancer, life expectancy is best: 85 – 95% of those affected survive the next 10 years. Life expectancy is somewhat lower in medullary thyroid cancer, which is much less common than papillary thyroid cancer.
If this type of cancer has not yet metastasized, the chance of recovery is over 90 percent. In the long term, the chance of survival is between 50 and 60 percent. A low life expectancy triggers the undifferentiated thyroid carcinoma, in which numerous other organs are already affected by metastases at an early stage.
In most cases, there is no chance of a cure for this type of cancer and those affected are offered palliative therapy, which attempts to enable them to live a life free of symptoms. In summary, life expectancy depends on the type of thyroid cancer and the age of the person affected. However, most patients suffer from well curable types of thyroid cancer and thus have an almost normal life expectancy after a consequent therapy and good aftercare. Thanks to drug-based hormone replacement therapy, even well adjusted patients do not experience problems due to a lack or excess of hormones.
