What are the risk factors for thyroid cancer?
A risk factor is anything that affects a person’s chance of getting a disease such as cancer. Different cancers have different risk factors. For example, exposing skin to strong sunlight is a risk factor for skin cancer. Smoking is a risk factor for a number of cancers. But risk factors don’t tell us everything. Having a risk factor, or even several risk factors, does not mean that you will get the disease. And many people who get the disease may not have had any known risk factors. Even if a person with thyroid cancer has a risk factor, it is very hard to know how much that risk factor may have contributed to the cancer. Scientists have found a few risk factors that make a person more likely to develop thyroid cancer. Gender and Age For unclear reasons thyroid cancers occur about 3 times more often in women than in men. Thyroid cancers can occur in people of all ages, but most cases of papillary and follicular thyroid cancer are found in people between the ages of 20 and 60 years. Die
Gender and Age: For unclear reasons thyroid cancers occur about 3 times more often in women than in men. Thyroid cancers can occur in people of all ages, but most cases of papillary and follicular thyroid cancer are found in people between the ages of 20 and 60 years. Diet Low in Iodine: Follicular thyroid cancers are more common in areas of the world where people’s diets are low in iodine. In the United States, dietary iodine is plentiful because iodine is added to table salt and other foods. A diet low in iodine may also increase the risk of papillary cancer if the person also is exposed to radioactivity. Radiation: Exposure to radiation is a proven risk factor for thyroid cancer. Sources of such radiation include certain medical treatments and radiation fallout from power plant accidents or nuclear weapons. Having a history of head or neck radiation treatments in childhood is a risk factor for thyroid cancer. In the past, children were sometimes treated with radiation for things we
• Age—The majority of people diagnosed with this condition are over the age of 40. Most people diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer are over age 65. • Gender—Women are about three times as likely as men to develop thyroid cancer. • Family history or genetic makeup—Thyroid cancer can sometimes run in families. Rare gene changes in the RET, PTEN, or APC genes are associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer. • Exposure to radiation—A history of exposure to radiation (especially during childhood) is a very strong risk factor for thyroid cancer. Exposure might have occurred during medical treatments or accidental exposure to radioactive fallout from nuclear power plant accidents. • Iodine deficiency—Iodine is necessary for thyroid hormone production. Without enough iodine, the thyroid enlarges to form a mass called a goiter. In the U.S., iodine is often added to table salt, preventing most Americans from being deficient. In areas of the world where iodine deficiency occurs more
