Thyroid cancer, risk factors, clinical features, prognosis, and its incidence preference in Saudi populations: review

Abstract

Within the diverse cancers reported, the epidemiology of thyroid cancer increased 3-fold in the latest years which may be due lifestyle changes, lack of cancer awareness, lack of screening, and early cancer investigations and detection programs in addition to genetics and deficiency of iodine and vitamin D.  The aim of this review was to discuss Thyroid cancer incidence, risk factors, and clinical features and prognosis. The cause of thyroid cancer is unknown, but because the thyroid gland is very sensitive to radiation, exposure to radiation can cause precancerous changes. For unclear reasons, thyroid cancer like almost all diseases of the thyroid, occurs about 3 times more often in women than in men at any age, but the risk peaks earlier for women at 40 to 50 years. Several inherited conditions have been linked to different types of thyroid cancer but some patients with thyroid cancer do not have inherited conditions or a family history of the disease. Four general types of thyroid cancer were explained, Papillary, Follicular, Medullary, and Anaplastic. Over the last decade, the incidence of Papillary and Follicular thyroid cancers increased at the same time.