A few risk factors for thyroid cancer include:²

• Age: Thyroid cancer can occur at any age, but most women are diagnosed in their 40s or 50s, and most men are diagnosed in their 60s or 70s.
• Gender: Thyroid cancer is three times as common in women than in men.
• Hereditary Conditions: Certain inherited conditions, listed below, have been linked to different types of thyroid cancer:
  • Familial medullary thyroid carcinoma (FMTC)
  • Familial adenomatous polyposis (FAP)
  • Cowden disease
  • Carney complex (type I)
  • Familial nonmedullary thyroid carcinoma
• Family History
• Radiation Exposure
• Being Overweight or Obese
• Iodine in the Diet: Follicular thyroid is more common in people with diets that are low in iodine. However, a diet high in iodine may increase the risk of papillary thyroid cancer.

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