Cases of patients with thyroid cancer in Crete have increased worryingly in recent years. In the last ten years there has been a 10% rise in cases, a fact which Cretans must take seriously, as the Surgical Oncology Clinic of Heraklion University Hospital reports.
3-5% of the population appears to suffer from some form of thyroid problem, mainly due to tumours. About one quarter of these patients suffer from cancer. Although these are not lethal types of cancer, they make patients’ lives a misery.
They are mainly caused by dietary, environmental and genetic factors, while specialists even believe that the Chernobyl disaster has had an important effect.
The worrying 10% rise in cancer patents in Crete over the last decade must be taken seriously by scientists and local inhabitants. In recent years, however, there has been significant progress in non-invasive surgery.