Importance of Thyroid Cancer Screening
Patients with a family history of thyroid cancer are encouraged to get screened. Even if a person has a risk factor for thyroid cancer, it is very hard to know how much it may contribute to the cancer. Risk factors that are more likely to lead to thyroid cancer include:
- Gender and age, especially women age 40 to 60 and men age 60 to 80
- Hereditary conditions
- Family history
- Exposure to radiation as a child, such as X-rays
- Being overweight or obese
- A diet high in iodine
The thyroid gland has 2 main types of cells: Follicular cells which regulate a person’s metabolism and C cells (also called parafollicular cells) which control how the body uses calcium. Other, less common cells include immune system cells and supportive cells.
Many types of growths and tumors (called nodules) can develop in the thyroid gland. While most are non-cancerous, others are not and those may spread into nearby tissues and other parts of the body. The differences are important because they affect how serious the cancer is and what type of treatment will be needed.