The Claim
The dramatic rise in thyroid cancer diagnoses in South Korea did not correspond to a reduction in thyroid cancer mortality, suggesting that many of the newly diagnosed cases were low-risk tumors unlikely to be fatal.
What the research says
Not yet evaluated
We are still looking at what the research says.
These are independent scores, not a percentage. Higher-grade studies count more, so a single strong opposing study can outweigh several weaker ones.
In South Korea, more people are being told they have thyroid cancer than before, but not fewer people are dying from it — which means many of those new diagnoses might be for cancers that wouldn’t have hurt them anyway.
See the scientific wording
The dramatic rise in thyroid cancer diagnoses in South Korea did not correspond to a reduction in thyroid cancer mortality, suggesting that many of the newly diagnosed cases were low-risk tumors unlikely to be fatal.
What the research says
1 studyStudy: South Korea's Thyroid-Cancer "Epidemic"--Turning the Tide.
Doctors in South Korea started checking for thyroid cancer too much with ultrasounds, finding lots of tiny tumors that wouldn’t hurt anyone. When they stopped screening so much, fewer people had surgery — but no more people died from thyroid cancer. That means most of those extra diagnoses weren’t dangerous.
Score breakdown, mechanism chain, raw evidence, ideal studies needed & 1 supporting studies
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.