Trends in thyroid carcinoma among thyroidectomy patients: a 12-year multicenter study

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Oncology
• Surgical Pathology

Background:

• Thyroid malignancy is the most common endocrine cancer, accounting for 2% of global malignancies.
• Rising thyroid cancer incidence is linked to more sensitive diagnostic methods, leading to overdiagnosis of small tumors.
• This study investigates thyroid cancer trends in patients undergoing thyroidectomy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the distribution and temporal trends of thyroid cancer among patients who underwent thyroidectomy.
• To identify the types of thyroid carcinomas and their prevalence in relation to age and sex.
• To differentiate overall thyroid cancer trends from those specifically related to microcarcinomas.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective descriptive study utilizing medical records.
• Data collected from two tertiary care centers in Riyadh.
• Included 979 patients aged 9-90 who underwent thyroid surgery between January 1, 2004, and December 31, 2016.

Main Results:

• Papillary thyroid carcinoma was the most common type (91%), followed by follicular thyroid carcinoma (4.7%).
• The overall trend for thyroid cancer remained stable during the study period.
• Annual increases in incidence were driven by a rise in diagnosed thyroid microcarcinomas between 2010 and 2016.

Conclusions:

• The observed increase in thyroid cancer rates is largely attributable to the increased diagnosis of thyroid microcarcinomas.
• The study highlights the impact of diagnostic sensitivity on cancer incidence data.
• A multicenter study is recommended for a broader evaluation of thyroid cancer trends in Saudi Arabia.