Thyroid Cancer

Thyroid cancer (TC) ranks ninth in incidence and is more common in young individuals [1, 2]. The disease’s mortality rates are substantially lower, with women dying at a rate of 0.5 per 100,000 and males dying at a rate of 0.3 per 100,000 [1]. Incidence rates are higher in transitioned nations than in transitional countries [3]. Incidence is high in Eastern Asia with 260,692 new cases in 2020 and Cyprus has the highest global rates [1]. According to the National Cancer Registry Program (NCRP), there were 11,262 new cases of TC in India in 2020. Over screening and subsequent greater diagnosis rates were cited as a main reason for increasing incidence in high-income nations such as the United States and South Korea [4]. Women and ages between 20 and55 are at a higher risk for developing TCs. Childhood and adolescent exposure to ionizing radiation for diagnostic or therapeutic purposes such as the radiation therapy is a risk factor for papillary TC [5]. A dose-dependent relationship between exposure and the risk of TC was discovered in Chernobyl as well as Hiroshima and Nagasaki atomic bombings [6]. TC risk increases with an exposure at younger age and peaks at 15 to 19 years after exposure [7]. The risk of TC increases with a family history of TC or benign thyroid disease [4, 8]. Iodine deficiency is a risk factor for papillary TC, while excess iodine intake has been linked to follicular and anaplastic TC [9]. A thyroid nodule is a radiologically distinguishable lesion within the thyroid gland [10]. Difficulty in swallowing, hoarseness or change in voice, and family history of TC, thyroid swellings require examination and investigation. Incidentally discovered nodules, which may be nonpalpable when discovered on ultrasound or other anatomic imaging investigations and are just as likely to become cancerous as palpable nodules of the same size [10]. Higher TSH level in the serum is linked to increased risk of TC [11]. Fine needle aspiration biopsy is used to determine if it is cancerous or not.