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Causes
By Mayo Clinic staff
The precise cause of Hurthle cell cancer is not known, although researchers believe the disease is associated with alterations in DNA, including some related to the aging process.
DNA is the genetic material that contains the instructions for every chemical process in your body. Some of the genes in your DNA promote cell division, and some slow cell division or program cells to die at the right time. Still other genes control processes that help repair DNA. When DNA is altered or damaged, these genes may not function properly, causing cells to grow out of control and eventually form a mass (tumor) of cancerous (malignant) cells.
Like other thyroid cancers, Hurthle cell cancer has been linked to radiation exposure.
Doctors still have unanswered questions about Hurthle cell cancers, including how to classify them. Hurthle cell cancer is often considered a subgroup of follicular tumors of the thyroid, which develop in the thyroid's follicle cells. These are cells in which thyroid hormones — thyroxine and triiodothyronine — are manufactured. Some researchers, however, believe that Hurthle cell cancer should be considered a distinct category of thyroid malignancies.
