A worldwide journey of thyroid cancer incidence centred on tumour histology

Abstract

Over the past three decades, the incidence of thyroid carcinoma has been increasing globally. Data from 2006 to 2012 indicate an annual incidence rate of thyroid cancer of around 5·4% in men and 6·5% in women.1–4 Furthermore, with the mean incidence increasing by 6·2% per year, thyroid cancer is the fifth most common malignancy diagnosed in women, and the most common cancer in women younger than 25 years.2,3 Approximately 37 200 new cases of thyroid cancer were diagnosed in the USA alone in 2009, compared to 56 460 new cases reported only a few years later in 2012.