How common is thyroid cancer?
Thyroid cancer is not common and accounts for less than 2 percent of cancers diagnosed in the United States. In the United States, about 2 in every 1,000 men and about 4 in every 1,000 women who are currently cancer-free and aged 50 years will eventually develop thyroid cancer in their remaining lifetime. This is shown in the boxes below. Each box contains 1,000 circles. Each circle stands for a person. The blue circles show the number of 50-year-old men and women who will eventually develop thyroid cancer. The black circles show the number of men and women who will not develop thyroid cancer.
