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  • Review Article
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Geographic influences in the global rise of thyroid cancer

Nature Reviews Endocrinology volume 16, pages 17–29 (2020)Cite this article

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Abstract

The incidence of thyroid cancer is on the rise, and this disease is projected to become the fourth leading type of cancer across the globe. From 1990 to 2013, the global age-standardized incidence rate of thyroid cancer increased by 20%. This global rise in incidence has been attributed to several factors, including increased detection of early tumours, the elevated prevalence of modifiable individual risk factors (for example, obesity) and increased exposure to environmental risk factors (for example, iodine levels). In this Review, we explore proven and novel hypotheses for how modifiable risk factors and environmental exposures might be driving the worldwide increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer. Although overscreening and the increased diagnosis of possibly clinically insignificant disease might have a role in certain parts of the world, other areas could be experiencing a true increase in incidence due to elevated exposure risks. In the current era of personalized medicine, national and international registry data should be applied to identify populations who are at increased risk for the development of thyroid cancer.

Key points

  • The incidence of thyroid cancer in higher-income countries has been rising; the causes appear to be complex and multifactorial.

  • Several upper middle-income countries have regional cancer registries that help to better understand cancer incidence in the context of environmental influences, such as iodine supplementation.

  • In lower middle-income and low-income countries, understanding thyroid cancer incidence has been predominantly limited to single-centre studies.

  • Proposed influences in the development of thyroid cancer include dietary changes and environmental exposures, which vary based on region.

  • The development of regional or national cancer registries in low-income countries would provide a rich repository to study thyroid cancer in regions with varying environmental and social exposures.

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Fig. 1: Global estimated age-standardized incidence rates of thyroid cancer in 2018.
Fig. 2: Global estimated age-standardized mortality of thyroid cancer in 2018.

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  1. University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA

    Jina Kim, Jessica E. Gosnell & Sanziana A. Roman

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Glossary

Papillary thyroid cancer

(PTC). The most common type of thyroid cancer, which tends to grow slowly and can spread to lymph nodes in the neck.

Thyroid nodules

Abnormal growths of thyroid cells that can form a mass within the thyroid.

Betel quid

A mix of betel nut, tobacco and spices, which is used like chewing tobacco.

Fine-needle aspiration

A biopsy procedure in which a thin needle is used collect a sample of tissue for evaluation.

Occult thyroid cancers

Thyroid cancers that are not detectable by contemporary clinical methods.

Microcarcinomas

Tumours less than or equal to 1 cm in size.

Anaplastic thyroid cancer

A rare but aggressive type of thyroid cancer.

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Kim, J., Gosnell, J.E. & Roman, S.A. Geographic influences in the global rise of thyroid cancer. Nat Rev Endocrinol 16, 17–29 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-019-0263-x

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