Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer is a cancerous tumour or growth located within the thyroid gland.

Thyroid cancer is the fastest growing diagnosed cancer in Canada, and the sixth most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, but has a much lower mortality rate than other cancers.

Find out more about the prevalence of thyroid cancer in Canada.

What causes thyroid cancer? Thyroid cancer is more likely to occur in people who have undergone extensive radiation therapy at a high dosage of the head, neck, or chest during childhood. Radiation was commonly used before 1960 to shrink enlarged tonsils, to treat various skin problems (such as acne), and to reduce an enlarged thymus gland (an organ inside the chest) in infants. Radiation used in diagnostic x-rays (for example, x-rays used by dentists) is not connected with thyroid cancer.

Thyroid cancer is also more likely to occur if you have a family member who has had thyroid cancer. However, thyroid cancer can occur in anyone.

How will thyroid cancer affect me? If you or someone you know has been diagnosed with thyroid cancer, you will be glad to know that the outlook with treatment is very good - most thyroid cancers can be totally removed with surgery. However, this type of cancer can sometimes come back or spread to other parts of the body, even many years later. That's why doctors recommend that people who have had thyroid cancer receive routine checkups for the rest of their life. Many doctors feel that testing within the first 5 to 10 years after surgery is particularly critical.

If you're worried about thyroid cancer, your next step is to find out about diagnosis.