Thyroid cancer risk factors

Risk factors
Clinical data have suggested that the development of thyroid cancer is related to several factors.


 * A diet low in iodine: Clinical survey show follicular thyroid cancers are more common in areas where people's diets are low in iodine.
 * Radiation: Scientists has proven that radiation exposure is a risk factor for thyroid cancer. Such radiation includes medical treatments and radiation fallout from power plant accidents or nuclear weapons.
 * Hereditary conditions: Studies show people with certain inherited medical conditions such as familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC), Gardner syndrome, Cowden disease, and familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP) are at higher risk of developing thyroid cancer.
 * Gender: Contrary to other cancers, thyroid cancers occur more often in women than in men.
 * Age: Clinical data show that papillary and follicular thyroid cancer are usually found in people between the ages of 20 and 60 years.