Thyroid Carcinoma

Overview EpidemiologyThyroid nodules are approximately 4 times more common in women than in men.Palpable nodules increase in frequency throughout life, reaching a prevalence of approximately 5% in the United States population aged 50 years and older.[1][2][3] Nodules are even more prevalent when the thyroid gland is examined at autopsy or surgery, or when using ultrasonography, and 50% of these have nodules, which are almost always benign.2,4 New nodules develop at a rate of approximately 0.1% per year beginning in early life, but at a much higher rate (~2% per year) after exposure to head and neck irradiation.5,6 By contrast, thyroid carcinoma is uncommon.For the United States population, the lifetime risk of NCCN