Thyroid Cancer Diagnoses Expected To Drop this Year

Based on information from the American Cancer Society and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, thyroid cancer diagnoses are predicted to decrease in 2021. It is anticipated that there will be 8,600 fewer diagnoses—44,280 as compared to 52,890 in 2020. Deaths from thyroid cancer, however, are expected to increase slightly to 2,200 in 2021, from 2,180 in 2020.

“We are pleased about the reduction in estimated diagnoses of thyroid cancer, and hope that this will continue instead of the increases of the past decade. Additionally, we hope that the death rate will also drop, as it has for so many other cancers,” said ThyCa Executive Director Gary Bloom, a 25-year thyroid cancer survivor. 

“Most thyroid cancer is usually treatable when found early,” he added, “and some small papillary thyroid cancers, can be followed by active monitoring rather than needing active treatment. However, early detection is still important as any type of thyroid cancer becomes more difficult to treat if it has spread widely, and the rare types such as medullary or anaplastic and aggressive forms of papillary and follicular are difficult to treat.”