Top cancer specialists have revealed a double-digit annual rise in the number of thyroid cancer cases in China over the past decade, especially among young and middle-aged women.

Last year, the incidence rate was 6.56 cases per 100,000 people, making it among the top 10 most common forms of cancer on the mainland, according to the latest national cancer report released by the National Central Cancer Registry under the Ministry of Health.

The report showed that women are at far higher risk than men, with an incidence rate of more than 10 per 100,000.