At present, the cause of thyroid cancer gene mutation is not clear, but it is related to many factors, such as ionizing radiation, estrogen, heredity, too high or too low iodine intake and so on.
1. Ionizing radiation: the thyroid gland is located in the superficial part of the neck, which is most vulnerable to the influence of ionizing radiation and causes gene mutation. Especially in childhood, the thyroid gland is vulnerable to ionizing radiation because of its low resistance.
2. Heredity: many medullary thyroid cancers are affected by family genes, and if there are thyroid cancer patients in the family, the probability of gene mutation will be increased.
3. Estrogen: among differentiated thyroid cancer patients, female patients are 2-4 times more than male patients. Clinical studies show that high estrogen level also affects the mutation of thyroid cancer gene, and the risk of thyroid cancer in people with high estrogen level is 3 times higher than that of normal people.
4. Excessive or low iodine intake: Iodine is the necessary raw material for thyroxine synthesis, and iodine deficiency can cause compensatory hyperplasia of thyroid follicular cells, leading to goiter. In iodine-deficient areas, the incidence of thyroid follicular tumors increases; while in areas with excessive iodine intake, papillary thyroid cancer is more likely to occur.