C73: Malignant neoplasm of thyroid gland

The thyroid is a small organ at the bottom of the neck. The thyroid gland needs iodine to produce important messenger substances for the body. These messenger substances influence the heartbeat, digestion, and body temperature, among other things.

The tissue in the body is made up of cells. With cancer, the cells multiply uncontrollably, which leads to a malignant neoplasm (abnormal growth of tissue) developing. The cancer cells can destroy the healthy tissue and spread throughout the body.

Not every cancer is the same. There are cancers that develop quickly. You may then quickly feel seriously ill. But there are also cancers that progress slowly. You may then feel generally unwell or weak, or even have no symptoms at all to start with. With thyroid gland cancer, you sometimes find it difficult to swallow or breathe. You may also feel a hard lump at the front of the neck or have a hoarse voice.

Please note: This ICD code may also derive from the ICD-O system. If this is the case, there are usually additional letters and numbers in addition to the code. It starts with the letter M, followed by 4 digits and then a slash. There is another digit after the slash.

If it is an ICD-O code, then this does not describe a malignant cancer in all cases. The last digit after the slash gives you more detailed information about this: