Hey, idiots, do you think this has anything to do with it?

Doctors unsure why thyroid cancer cases on the rise

By Shari Rudavsky

National Cancer Institute statistics suggest that in recent years the number of cases of this often curable cancer has increased by about 6.5%. Over a decade, that has added up to make thyroid cancer the fastest-increasing cancer, says Tod Huntley, an otolaryngologist and head and neck surgeon with the Center for Ear, Nose, Throat and Allergy in Indianapolis.

"Ten years ago, if I saw four new thyroid cancer patients a year, it would have been a lot," says G. Irene Minor, a radiation oncologist with Indiana University Health Central Indiana Cancer Center. "Now sometimes I see that many in a month, and I have seen three in a week."

Thyroid cancer is more common in women younger than 45, Minor said. Doctors don't know why that's the case, but thyroid problems in general — such as hyper- or hypo-thyroidism — are more common in women.

The thyroid helps regulate heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature and weight. Thyroid cancer is three times more common in women than men.

Link:
http://yourlife.usatoday.com/health/story/2012-01-15/Doctors-unsure-why-thyroid-cancer-cases-on-the-rise/52582694/1