Health encyclopaedia - Alphabetical Topic List
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| | N | | | O | | | P | | | Q | | | R | | | S | | | T | | | U | | | V | | | W | | | X | | | Y | |
Causes of Cancer of the thyroid
The cause of Thyroid cancer is unknown.
However:
- Evidence suggests that previous exposure of the neck area to radiation increases the risk. This may be due to radiotherapy given in childhood, or when environmental levels of radiation become high (eg due to nuclear fallout following the Chernobyl nuclear accident).
- The cancer is more common in women than men.
- Medullary thyroid cancer can be hereditary, caused by an abnormal gene, which increases the risk of developing thyroid cancer. There are screening tests available to detect the gene faults responsible.









