[Thyroid cancers in Madagascar]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Pathology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Thyroid cancer incidence and characteristics vary globally.
• Limited data exists on thyroid cancer epidemiology in Madagascar.
• Understanding local patterns is crucial for public health initiatives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the epidemiological and pathological features of thyroid cancer in Antananarivo, Madagascar.
• To establish a baseline for future thyroid cancer research in the region.
• To identify potential risk factors, such as iodine deficiency.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of surgical pathology data from four laboratories in Antananarivo.
• Inclusion of 6,036 surgical samples examined between June 2004 and June 2005.
• Analysis of 40 confirmed thyroid cancer cases.

Main Results:

• Thyroid cancer represented 0.66% of all surgical samples and 22.32% of thyroid samples.
• The majority of patients were female (82%) with a mean age of 43.9 years.
• Papillary carcinoma (50%) and follicular carcinoma (45%) were the predominant types; medullary and anaplastic carcinomas were rare.
• Metastases occurred in 20% of cases, with lymph node involvement from papillary type and bone involvement from follicular type.
• A higher incidence was observed in individuals from the Highlands, an area of endemic goiter.

Conclusions:

• Thyroid cancer in Antananarivo predominantly affects women and is characterized mainly by papillary and follicular types.
• The findings suggest a potential link between endemic goiter/iodine deficiency and thyroid cancer in the Highlands region.
• This study provides valuable reference data for thyroid cancer in Madagascar, highlighting the need for further etiological research.