The course of papillary carcinoma of the thyroid is best described by which of the following statements?

Papillary carcinoma of the thyroid frequently metastasizes to cervical lymph nodes, but distant metastasis is uncommon. The nonaggressive nature of this tumor locally and the infrequency of distant metastases combine to produce an 80-95% 5-year survival rate. A contributing factor to the success of thyroid surgery for papillary carcinoma is the easy accessibility of cervical nodes for examination and dissection. Slow growth and a predilection for local extension are characteristics of this tumor that contribute to a high survival rate in affected persons. This is true even of patients who have limited surgery, which has led to considerable controversy regarding the extent of the indicated surgical procedure.