Thyroid Cancer: Risk Factors© Keri
Aug 4, 2000
Everyone knows that smoking contributes to the development of lung cancer. Smoking is a risk factor. A risk factor is something that increases your chance of having the disease. It's like gambling--even when the odds are in your favor, you rarely win. The good news is that with the exception of genetically transmitted MTC (medullary thyroid carcinoma) there are no clear cut risk factors related to thyroid cancer. There are some potential risks but even those can't predict who will develop the disease.
Thyroid cancer is not common but it is not as rare as most people think. It is more common in women and in those between the ages of 25-65. Women are routinely encouraged to get PAP tests to check for cervical cancer but in reality there are more cases of thyroid cancer per year than cervical cancer. We should all include a Neck Check in our regular routine. The American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute have identified the following risk factors:
- Diet low in Iodine: Two kinds of thyroid cancer (papillary and follicular) are when people lack iodine in their diets. This is usually not the case in the US and Canada where the use of iodized salt has long been established.
- Radiation: There has been much concern over the increased risk of radiation exposure due to radioactive fallout from nuclear accidents and testing. It appears that there are more cases of thyroid cancer appearing in children exposed in Chernobyl. Studies are ongoing. It is recommended that you see your doctor if you are concerned about exposure.
- Heredity: You just can't get away from those genes. There are increased cases of thyroid cancer in people with some rare hereditary conditions like Gardner syndrome and Cowden's disease.
About 20% of the cases of medullary thyroid carcinoma are linked to an inherited abnormal gene. If there are known cases of this type of cancer in your family, you should talk to your doctor about genetic testing. Keep in mind that 80% of the cases of this type of cancer occur sporadically without known risk.
- Gender and age: As mentioned above, just being female increases your risk for thyroid nodules, benign and cancerous. Nodules (lumps) can occur in people of all ages but are most common between the ages of 30-50.
- Lifestyle,: Neither tobacco or alcohol usage have been shown to increase the risk of thyroid cancer. However, both are considered risk factors for most types of head and neck cancer.
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