Characteristics of thyroid carcinomas in aging patients

To investigate the clinical features of thyroid cancer in aging patients and to present the results of treatment. From this we can provide bases for earlier diagnoses and better treatment of thyroid malignancies in older patients.

In this study a retrospective analysis was performed with 204 thyroid cancer patients aged 60 years or older (132 women, with a mean age of 68.3 +/- 6.6 years; 72 men, with a mean age of 67.0 +/- 5.3 years).

Of the 204 patients, 142 had well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas (96 papillary thyroid carcinomas, 43 follicular carcinomas, three Hürthle cell carcinomas) and three medullary carcinomas. Sixty-nine (33.8%) of the 204 patients died after treatment. Of these, three patients died of causes not related to thyroid cancer. For well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas, male gender, follicular carcinoma, and a larger tumour size indicated a poor prognosis. Of the 59 non-well-differentiated thyroid carcinomas, 39 were anaplastic thyroid carcinomas, nine metastatic cancers of the thyroid, seven lymphomas, and four squamous cell carcinomas. After treatment, 40 (67.8%) of the 59 patients died. In multivariant analysis of the differences in clinical parameters between aging and younger thyroid cancer patients, the current status, tumour size, follow-up period, sex, and stage at diagnosis were independent factors. From this data the delayed diagnosis of aging patients with thyroid cancer was of note when compared with younger patients.

Thyroid cancer in older patients is not a benign clinical disorder. Early diagnosis and urgent aggressive treatment are recommended courses of action for this type of cancer, especially for non-well-differentiated thyroid cancers.