THYROID
CANCER PREVENTION – IS IT FEASIBLE?
In most
patients, thyroid cancer is no associated with known risk factors, and so it is
impossible to apply preventive measures.
Radiation
exposure, mainly during childhood, is a very well-known risk factor for the
development of thyroid cancer. In the past, neck irradiation was used for the
treatment of even benign diseases in children; this therapeutic approach has
been replaced by other treatment methods because of the associated high risk
for cancer development (including thyroid cancer). For the same reason,
unnecessary radiation expose (especially in children) during diagnostic investigation
(mainly using computed tomography) should be avoided.
In the
presence of a family history of medullary thyroid cancer, genetic testing for
this disease is indicated in the other family members. Prophylactic
thyroidectomy in children who carry the abnormal (mutated) gene is a highly
effective surgical strategy regarding prevention of a potentially lethal
thyroid malignancy (proposed age for prophylactic thyroidectomy depends on the
type of mutation detected).
Screening
of asymptomatic people to detect thyroid cancer in early stages is indicated in
the presence of strong family history of thyroid cancer (i.e. two or more first
degree relatives with thyroid cancer, especially when diagnosed in ages < 30
yrs) or in the frame of some rare genetic syndromes.
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