Thyroid cancer - Essay Example

62). Nevertheless, it is still a form of cancer which prompts concern from the health community in general. It is presently one of the fastest rising cancers in the world, with more women prone to be affected by the disease. The cause for thyroid cancer as with other types of cancer has not been definitively identified. However, studies on the possible risk factors of this disease have been conducted and they identify that exposure to radiation or radiation iodine as one of the primary risk factors.

“When the healthy thyroid gland is exposed to radioactive iodine, the cells of the thyroid gland can develop breaks in their chromosomes, which can cause cancer” (Rosenthal, p. 82). High rates of thyroid cancer were discovered after nuclear fallouts in the Nevada Test Site, the Hanford nuclear facility, and in the Marshall Islands after the atomic bomb testing in the Bikini Atoll. Exposure to radiation has been known to cause alterations in the body’s cells resulting to mutations and damage to the chromosomes.

Such exposure eventually increases a person’s risk to cancer, not just of the thyroid gland, but of other parts of the body as well. In some rare instances, thyroid cancer is inherited. This genetic mutation is called an autosomal dominant genetic disorder and is passed on to the child by the parent. There is a 50-50 chance that the parent may pass on the disease to his child; and in these families who have this genetic disorder, there is a high risk that they will be carrying this gene (Rosenthal, p. 82-83). Other risk factors for this disease include, being female with females three times more likely than men to be diagnosed with this disease.

Patients aged 45 years old and older also have a higher risk of acquiring this disease. Some studies also identify limited iodine intake as a risk factor for thyroid cancer. This risk factor however has not been definitively proven because other