Thyroid canceris the 12th most common cancer in the United States.
Healthcare providers often find it early enough that it can be treated with a positive outcome.
It has a survival rate of over 98%.
Illustration by Zoe Hansen for Verywell Health
This article highlights important facts and statistics you should know about the condition.
It wraps around the windpipe, below the Adams apple, and has two lobes on either side.
Thyroid cancer starts when cells in the thyroid begin to grow out of control.
Three types of thyroid cancer are the most common:
How Common Is Thyroid Cancer?
About 1 out of every 200,000 people in the United States will die from it each year.
The National Cancer Institute estimated that there would be around 43,800 new cases of thyroid cancer in 2022.
Thats 2.3% of all new cancer cases.
About 1.2% of people will be diagnosed with thyroid cancer during their lives.
Thyroid Cancer by Age
Healthcare providers often diagnose thyroid cancer during middle agebetween 45 and 64.
The median age at diagnosis is 51.
It is more deadly the older you get.
Causes of Thyroid Cancer and Risk Factors
Most cases of thyroid cancer have no apparent cause.
Almost all people diagnosed with thyroid cancer will live more than five years from being diagnosed.
The survival rate starts to drop if the thyroid cancer has already metastasized (spread) to distant locations.
Thyroid cancer diagnosed after it has spread to other organs has a survival rate of 53.5%.
Thankfully, only about 3% of thyroid cancers develop this much before being discovered.
The rate of new cases and deaths has been steady since 2010.
What Is a Survival Rate?
But it can bepresented in several different ways.
It does not predict an individual’s prognosis, as that will be based on several factors.
If a healthcare provider discovers a tumor or precancerous growth, they’ll often remove the thyroid.
The surgeon can even remove it preventatively in cases of medullary thyroid cancer, which can be fatal.
Summary
Thyroid cancer is the 12th most common cancer in the United States.
This cancer often doesnt have a specific cause and cant be prevented.
There is no screening program for thyroid cancer.
National Cancer Institute.Cancer stat facts: thyroid cancer.
American Cancer Society.Key statistics for thyroid cancer.
American Cancer Society.What is thyroid cancer?
American Cancer Society.Thyroid cancer risk factors.
American Cancer Society.Can thyroid cancer be prevented?
