Strictly speaking, there is no real prevention, but people who have been treated with irradiation to the head and neck or those living in areas where nuclear tests have been carried out should benefit from simple regular monitoring. (palpation of the thyroid region).

The rare people who are at very high risk of thyroid cancer due to a genetic mutation can discuss with their doctor the benefit of a possible preventive thyroidectomy, in order to remove the thyroid gland. We must therefore carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages of this option.

For people living near a nuclear power plant, emergency measures to protect the thyroid gland are planned in the event of an accident that would be accompanied by the release of nuclear waste. Potassium iodide, also called “stable iodine”, is a drug that blocks the effects of radioactive iodine on the thyroid. The thyroid gland fixes iodine, whether or not it is radioactive. By saturating the gland with non-radioactive iodine, the risk of damage can be reduced.

The methods of distributing this medicine vary from municipality to municipality and from country to country. People who live near a power plant can get information from their municipality.