Causes

Who is more likely to get thyroid cancer

Anyone can get thyroid cancer. It's not always clear what causes it.

You might be more likely to get it if:

you're a woman and have not been through the menopause
you have a condition that affects the thyroid such as a swollen thyroid (goitre), Hashimoto's disease or nodules (non-cancerous lumps) in or on your thyroid
you have a brother, sister, parent or child who has had thyroid cancer
you were exposed to a lot of radiation or had radiotherapy treatment in the past, especially if it was when you were a child
you've had certain cancers before such as breast cancer, oesophageal cancer, testicular cancer or non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Many thyroid cancers are also linked to your lifestyle.

How to lower your chance of getting thyroid cancer

You cannot always prevent thyroid cancer. But making healthy changes can lower your chances of getting it and other types of cancer.

Do

try to lose weight if you are overweight
try to cut down on alcohol - avoid drinking more than 14 units a week
try to quit smoking

It's important to get any symptoms of thyroid cancer checked by a GP.

Sexual Health Advice

Throughout this series we have help and advice on staying healthy, dealing with Sexually Transmitted Infections, the risks of each type of the most popular gay sex and what to do if the sex you have is not consentual. The topics covered in this series include:

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