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Reducing Your Risk of Thyroid Cancer

The cause of most thyroids cancer is not known. Therefore, there are no current steps to prevent most thyroid cancers.

Medullary thyroid cancer is caused by changes in a specific gene. This type of cancer is aggressive. It tends to spread and can be fatal. You may consider genetic testing if your family has a history of medullary thyroid cancer. A genetic counselor will help you understand the genetic test results. This gene does not mean you will definitely get cancer. Some may choose to have their thyroid removed before there is any sign of cancer. It will prevent thyroid cancer in the future. Others may choose to keep their thyroid and keep an eye out for any changes.

REFERENCES:

Anaplastic thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T114292/Anaplastic-thyroid-cancer. Updated June 29, 2018. Accessed December 8, 2018.

Follicular thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T115204/Follicular-thyroid-cancer. Updated June 27, 2017. Accessed December 8, 2018.

Medullary thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T113756/Medullary-thyroid-cancer. Updated June 29, 2018. Accessed December 8, 2018.

Papillary thyroid cancer. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at:http://www.dynamed.com/topics/dmp~AN~T115275/Papillary-thyroid-cancer. Updated August 15, 2018. Accessed December 8, 2018.

Treatment option overview. National Cancer Institute website. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/types/thyroid/patient/thyroid-treatment-pdq#section/_67. Updated August 18, 2017.Accessed December 8, 2018.

Last reviewed September 2018 by EBSCO Medical Review Board Mohei Abouzied, MD, FACP