A clinical epidemiologic study of thyroid carcinoma in patients under 25 years old in Tabriz, Iran (1995-2010)

To evaluate the epidemiology and prognostic factors of thyroid cancer among children and adolescents in Tabriz, Iran.

The retrospective descriptive-analytical study, assessing the tumour and characteristics of 356 patients with thyroid carcinoma aged 5-25, was conducted at the Department of Surgery, Imam Khomeini Hospital, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences from April 1995 to April 2010. All malignant neoplasms of the thyroid gland registered during the study period were studied, and their demographic and medical data was evaluated and, compared to identify the epidemiology and prognosis factors related to survival. SPSS 16 was used for statistical analysis.

Of the total, there were 100 (28%) male and 256 (72%) female subjects, with their mean age being 12.6+/-8.4 years. In terms of the disease, there was no statistically significant difference between the two genders (p=0.65). The five-year survival rate was 345 (97%) in patients aged 5-25 years. Gender was not a statistically significant marker (p=0.82).

The study indicated an increase in cases of thyroid cancer incidence. It also underlined the need for standardisation of diagnostic, classification and registration criteria which shall be a fundamental requirement for future studies of thyroid carcinoma in young people.