Fact 4: Risk Factors for Thyroid Cancer – Unveiling the Potential Triggers
While anyone can get thyroid cancer, certain factors can increase your risk. Being aware of these risk factors is the first step towards proactive management. However, having one or more risk factors doesn’t mean you’ll definitely develop the disease. Many people with several risk factors never develop thyroid cancer, while others with no known risk factors do.
One of the significant risk factors for thyroid cancer is exposure to high levels of radiation. This is especially the case for exposures in childhood, which significantly increase the risk of papillary thyroid cancer. The sources of such radiation could be therapeutic, involving radiation treatments to the head, neck, or chest. It could also be environmental, resulting from fallout from nuclear plant accidents.
Genetics can also play a substantial role in predisposing someone to thyroid cancer. Certain genetic syndromes increase the risk of this disease. These include conditions like familial medullary thyroid cancer, multiple endocrine neoplasia type 2, and familial adenomatous polyposis.
Iodine is essential for your thyroid to produce thyroid hormones. A diet low in iodine can cause thyroid problems and increase the risk of follicular thyroid cancer. This is more common in countries where iodine deficiency is prevalent due to the lack of iodine in the diet. However, in countries like the U.S., where iodized salt is widely used, dietary iodine deficiency is less of a concern. (4)
