[Thyroid gland carcinoma]

Carcinoma of the thyroid is a rare tumour, comprising approximately 1% of human malignancies. Thyroid carcinoma is classified according to its origin (thyroid follicular cell or calcitonin-producing C cell) and grade of differentiation (differentiated, poorly differentiated or anaplastic). Due to their different biology, genetical background and clinical course, which result in fundamentally different therapeutic strategies, the various types of thyroid carcinoma have attracted a lot of interest by both clinicians and pathologists. This review article deals with the most important aspects (definition, epidemiology, clinical course, prognosis, differential diagnosis and genetic background) of the various thyroid carcinomas.