{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,22]],"date-time":"2026-09-22T21:01:27Z","timestamp":1790110887093,"version":"4.0.1"},"reference-count":107,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"14","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1783468800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Cancers"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The global incidence of thyroid cancer (TC) has increased significantly in recent decades. Traditionally, this trend has been attributed to overdiagnosis resulting from the widespread use of imaging and improved diagnostic techniques, but increasing evidence suggests that current epidemiological patterns may not be fully explained by diagnostic factors alone. Most importantly, increasing rates of larger and more advanced tumors have been reported in several populations. This narrative review discusses the evidence on possible drivers of rising TC incidence: obesity and metabolic dysfunction, environmental exposures such as air pollution, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and ionizing radiation, as well as molecular and genetic mechanisms involved in thyroid carcinogenesis. The role of advances in diagnostics and their contribution to overdiagnosis are also discussed. Current available data support a multifactorial model with better detection coupled with changes in environmental, metabolic and biological risk factors. A better understanding of the relative contribution and interaction of these determinants may help refine diagnostic strategies, reduce unnecessary interventions, and improve the prevention and management of TC.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/cancers18142193","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]],"date-time":"2026-07-08T15:40:09Z","timestamp":1783525209000},"page":"2193","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":1,"title":["Beyond Overdiagnosis: Evaluating the Drivers of Increasing Thyroid Cancer Incidence in the Era of Obesity, Environmental Exposure, and Advanced Diagnostics"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"18","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-2398-1579","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Marta","family":"Druszcz","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8b, 20-090 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0004-1569-8621","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Justyna","family":"\u0141api\u0144ska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8b, 20-090 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0007-8201-9870","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Igor","family":"Kusio","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8b, 20-090 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Wiktoria","family":"Krowisz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8b, 20-090 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-8130-527X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Klaudia","family":"G\u0142adowska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Student Scientific Society of Forensic Medicine, Department of Correct, Clinical and Imaging Anatomy, Medical University of Lublin, 20-810 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0009-9616-0458","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Weronika","family":"Paj\u0105k","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8b, 20-090 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0006-3742-5696","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jakub","family":"Kleinrok","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8b, 20-090 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Ryszard","family":"Sitarz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"1st Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy and Early Intervention, Medical University of Lublin, Gluska Street 1, 20-439 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1016-2735","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Agnieszka","family":"Korolczuk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Clinical Pathomorphology, Medical University of Lublin, Jaczewskiego 8b, 20-090 Lublin, Poland"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2567","DOI":"10.1097\/CM9.0000000000003284","article-title":"Global burden of thyroid cancer in 2022: Incidence and mortality estimates from GLOBOCAN","volume":"137","author":"Lyu","year":"2024","journal-title":"Chin. 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