To date, several factors are known that increase the likelihood of thyroid cancer.
Content
Risk factors for thyroid cancer
Risk factor — this is what increases the likelihood of cancer.
For example, the intensive effects of sunlight on the skin — Skin Cancer Risk Factor.
Smoking — Risk factor for tumors of the lungs, oral cavity, larynx, bladder, kidneys and some other organs.
but the presence of one or more risk factors does not yet mean that human will necessarily have cancer.
To date, several factors are known that increase the likelihood of thyroid cancer. But most of the patients with thyroid cancer have no obvious risk factors. In addition, many people with the presence of one or more risk factors of the thyroid cancer do not develop at all. If a person has one or more risk factors, it is impossible to make a conclusion about how defined factor affects the occurrence of cancer.
Low iodine content in food
Papillar and follicular thyroid cancer is more common in those areas of the world, where there is a low iodine content in food products.
In some countries, iodine is specifically added to the food salt and other food.
Radiation
The proven risk factor for the papillary cancer of the thyroid gland is the irradiation of the head and neck in childhood. In the past, children were irradiated about the acne rash, fungal infection of the scalp, an enlarged fork gland and to reduce the size of almonds or adenoids. In a few years, this type of treatment has been tied up with an increased risk of thyroid cancer. The radiation impact in adults is accompanied by a minor risk of thyroid cancer development.
A number of studies have been shown that increasing the risk of nodal formations in the thyroid gland and even cancer is associated with radioactive precipitation when testing nuclear weapons or incidents at nuclear power plants. So, there is an increase in the cases of thyroid cancer among children near the Ukrainian city of Chernobyl, where in 1986 there was an explosion at NPP. At the same time, millions of people were exposed to radioactive precipitation. Rescuers and people living near the incident, there is also an increased frequency of thyroid cancer, although they were already adults at the time of the accident.
Hereditary states
People with some hereditary diseases also have an increased risk of thyroid cancer. So, Gardner Syndrome and family polyposes are accompanied by an increased risk of thyroid cancer occurrence. Rare Genetic Disease of Cauda (Cowden) is also associated with an increased risk of thyroid cancer. 20% of the medullary cancer of the thyroid gland are the result of an alienated gene - family medullary carcinoma of the thyroid gland.
Paul and age
Benign nodal formations of the thyroid gland occur more often in women than in men. Most cases of papillary and follicular cancer are revealed aged 30-50 years. Benign and malignant tumors of the thyroid gland can occur in people of all ages.
Risk factors associated with lifestyle
Tobacco and alcohol — Basic risk factors for most head and neck tumors, including oral tumors, pharynx, esophagus. On the other hand, it has not been proven that these factors increase the risk of cancer of the thyroid gland.
