Thyroid Cancer

A risk factor for thyroid cancer is something that increases your chance of getting this cancer. Having one or more of these risk factors can make it more likely that you will get thyroid cancer. But it doesn't mean that you will definitely get it. And many people who get thyroid cancer don't have any of these risk factors.

The most common risk factors for thyroid cancer include:

• Age.
• Being female.
• Exposure to high levels of radiation, such as after a nuclear power accident.
• A personal or family history of thyroid disease or thyroid cancer.
• A family history of conditions such as MEN (multiple endocrine neoplasia) 2a, MEN 2b, or FMTC (familial medullary thyroid carcinoma).
• Being Asian.
• A history of radiation treatments to the head, neck, or chest during childhood.
• Other inherited medical conditions, such as Reference Gardner's syndrome Opens New Window and Reference familial polyposis Opens New Window.

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