Rebecca S. Sippel, MD, associate professor of surgery, University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, explains that multiple studies have shown that the incidence and diagnosis of thyroid cancer is on the rise; however, the cause of this increase is largely unknown.

The major risk factors that call for added screening for thyroid cancer are radiation exposure and a positive family history. Unfortunately, the genetics of familial thyroid cancer are complicated and not well understood, Sippel believes. However, it is clear that every person with a first-degree relative that had thyroid cancer should be screened more aggressively.