factors of thyroid cancer

Risk factors of thyroid cancer:

Why a person will suffer from cancer of the thyroid and the other not? The medicine just a little to identify the causes of such unfairness. However, some risk factors have been updated. Discover them with Prof. Jean-Louis Wémeau, president of the Thyroid Research Group. On the occasion of the first multidisciplinary meetings on thyroid cancer, Prof. Jean-Louis Wémeau Chief of Endocrinology, CHU of Lille and president of the Thyroid Research Group, gave an update on risk factors cancers of the thyroid. However, note that these cancers are rare (about 3800 cases per year).

Irradiation:

Irradiation of the thyroid during childhood is the main risk factor and even the only known cause. Irradiation may be external (used to treat another illness) or when contamination (ingestion or inhalation) by radioactive iodine. The studies (monitoring of children survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, those exposed to nuclear testing during and after the Chernobyl accident) seem to have shown that only children under 15 years are susceptible to the carcinogenic action radiation. Among them, the risk is even greater than the dose is high. The radiation therapy (for blood cancers in particular) multiplied by two or three the risk of nodules (hard body and rounded) and among them the risk of cancer. Regarding metabolic radiotherapy with 131 used in the treatment of certain thyroid diseases (using a radioactive isotope that will bind preferentially to the gland), no increased risk was observed in adults.

"After the Chernobyl accident, about 3000 children under 15 present in utero or in the womb at the time of the explosion, have developed such radiation-induced cancers. But it don ' there is no scientific argument that leads to think that the increased incidence of thyroid cancer among adults, seen in Europe as in every country in the world, has any connection with the accident at Chernobyl, "says Prof. Wémeau.

Familial predisposition:

Between 3 and 5% of patients with papillary thyroid cancer (which represent 70% of tumors of the thyroid) have a parent with her own cancer of the thyroid but no genetic marker has been identified. In addition, 25-30% of medullary carcinomas (representing 7% of thyroid tumors) are familial forms in connection with a constitutional mutation of a gene (the gene Ret). Rare genetic diseases are also associated with thyroid cancer: colonic polyposis, Gardner syndrome, Carney, Cowden.

Age, hormonal factors and gender:

The majority of thyroid cancers reported between 30 and 50 years. Women are two to four times more affected than men with cancer of the thyroid. The origin of this sexual inequality is due to hormonal factors specific to women, as well as pregnancies that promote the formation of goiter and thyroid nodules.

Pre-existing thyroid disease:

Assume that the number of thyroid cancer is higher in carriers of goiter, Graves' disease and also when thyroid hormone levels of TSH present chronically too high.

Load iodine:

It is known that iodine deficiency may promote the onset of thyroid disease but it does seem that there's a connection between dietary iodine and the occurrence of thyroid cancer. "However, the increased load iodine reduces the prevalence of gallbladder cancer, the benefit of papillary cancers, easier to handle," says Professor Jean-Louis Wémeau.

Overweight:

An increase in thyroid cancer has been reported in cases of overweight, including Hawaii. However, further studies should confirm such a link. While alcohol and tobacco are important risk factors for most cancers, no association was found with cancers of the thyroid. But many questions remain regarding these factors. Further studies should quantify the possible influence of air pollutants such as benzene, chlorinated derivatives.