Thyroid cancer has more than tripled in incidence over recent decades, becoming one of the fastest growing cancers in the United States. Yet behind this alarming trend lies a troubling paradox that reveals deep racial inequities in American healthcare.
Black Americans develop thyroid cancer at rates 40-50% lower than other racial and ethnic groups. Despite this lower prevalence, they face more advanced disease at diagnosis, receive inferior treatment, and die at higher rates. African Americans also face elevated risk for anaplastic thyroid cancer, an aggressive and often fatal form that grows rapidly with poor prognosis.
Treatment disparities compound these survival differences. Black patients were least likely to receive guideline-recommended surgery at just 68.9%, compared to 79% of Hispanic patients receiving proper operations. While nearly all patients with advanced cancer received correct surgical treatment, only 63.7% of early-stage patients got the same standard of care. Since thyroid cancer surgery is highly specialized with outcomes dependent on technique and surgeon experience, inadequate initial treatment places Black patients at greater risk for complications, recurrence, and death.
The American Cancer Society estimates 45,240 new thyroid cancer cases in 2026, with approximately 2,320 deaths. Research points to social determinants driving these disparities: income, insurance status, education, access to specialty care, delayed diagnosis, lack of referral to experienced surgeons, transportation barriers, and medical mistrust all shape treatment pathways and outcomes.
These disparities reflect systemic inequities rather than biological differences, making them both preventable and urgent to address.
See: “Thyroid Cancer Rates are Rising, and Black Patients Face Higher Risks” (January 24, 2026)
