Irradiation-Related Thyroid Cancer

Excerpt

Thyroid cancer, although relatively rare, increased in incidence by 50% from 1947 to 1971 in the United States, with a striking twofold to fourfold increase for whites between the ages of 25 and 35 years (1).

The most specific factor identified to date to account for this greater incidence is previous exposure to X-irradiation or radium applications to the head, neck, or upper thorax regions, generally administered during infancy or childhood (2-4). This population has been recognized to have a significant increase in the incidence of neoplasia involving not only the thyroid gland, but to a lesser extent other structures