What are the causes and risk factors of thyroid cancer?

While doctors can seldom explain why one person gets thyroid cancer and another doesn't, we do know that the disease is not contagious; no one can "catch" thyroid cancer from another person.

Scientists do not know exactly what causes this disease, but research does show that some people are more likely to develop it than others.

Some types of thyroid cancer are inherited (run in families) and can be associated with other types of endocrine tumors.

People that have a strong family history of thyroid cancer may benefit from discussing this issue with an expert genetic counselor to determine their own risk of developing this disease.

Almost three times as many women develop thyroid cancer as do men.

People who have been exposed to radiation or received radiation treatments to the head and neck as an infant or child have a greater chance of developing thyroid cancer, as do those who have had a goiter (enlarged thyroid) or a family history of thyroid disease.