Papillary Thyroid Cancer Trends in the Wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Is There a Shift toward a More Aggressive Entity?
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
View abstract on PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.The COVID-19 pandemic correlated with an increase in aggressive papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and poor prognostic markers in UAE patients. This study compared thyroid cancer characteristics before and after the pandemic outbreak.
Area Of Science
- Endocrinology
- Oncology
- Epidemiology
Background
- Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) incidence is rising globally and is the second most common cancer in UAE women.
- Emerging evidence suggests a potential link between COVID-19 infection and aggressive PTC variants.
- This study aimed to compare thyroid cancer patient characteristics before and after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Purpose Of The Study
- To compare clinical and pathological features of thyroid cancer patients treated at a major endocrine surgery center in Abu Dhabi.
- To assess changes in PTC characteristics, including aggressive subtypes and prognostic factors, in the post-COVID-19 era.
Main Methods
- Retrospective cohort analysis of 1141 patients undergoing thyroid surgery between January 2018 and December 2022.
- Patients were divided into pre-pandemic (Jan 2018-Dec 2019) and post-pandemic (Jan 2021-Dec 2022) groups.
- Clinicopathological factors including tumor characteristics and prognostic markers were assessed using t-paired and Chi-square tests.
Main Results
- PTC cases increased from 111 pre-pandemic to 182 post-pandemic.
- Significant increases observed in aggressive PTC variants (3% to 11.5%), bilateral multifocality (10.8% to 32.4%), and vascular invasion (19.8% to 27%).
- Median tumor size decreased from 17 mm to 13 mm post-pandemic.
Conclusions
- A significant increase in unfavorable prognostic markers and aggressive PTC subtypes was observed in thyroidectomy patients post-pandemic.
- The findings highlight potential impacts of the pandemic on thyroid cancer presentation and progression.
- Further research is warranted to elucidate the mechanisms behind these observed changes.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
These videos have been matched automatically. Contact us if they are not relevant.
Related Concept Videos
Tumor progression is a phenomenon where the pre-formed tumor acquires successive mutations to become clinically more aggressive and malignant. In the 1950s, Foulds first described the stepwise progression of cancer cells through successive stages.
Colon cancer is one of the best-documented examples of tumor progression. Early mutation in the APC gene in colon cells causes a small growth on the colon wall called a polyp. With time, this polyp grows into a benign, pre-cancerous tumor. Further...
Cancers arise due to mutations in genes involved in the regulation of cell division, which leads to unrestricted cell proliferation. Modern science and medicine have made great strides in the understanding and treatment of cancer, including eradicating cancer in some patients. However, there is still no cure for cancer. This is largely due to the fact that cancer is a large group of many diseases.
Tumors may result in a case where two people have the same mutations in an oncogene or tumor...
Immunotherapy is a treatment that boosts or manipulates the immune system to fight diseases, including cancer. For instance, by stimulating an immune response through vaccinations against viruses that cause cancers, like hepatitis B virus and human papillomavirus, these diseases can be prevented. Nonetheless, some cancer cells can avoid the immune system due to their rapid mutation and division. The immune response to many cancers involves three phases: elimination, equilibrium, and escape.
Cancer treatment vaccines are a rapidly evolving field that offers a promising approach to immunotherapy. Unlike traditional vaccines that prevent diseases, cancer treatment vaccines are designed to treat existing cancers by stimulating the immune system to recognize and attack cancer cells.
Cancer vaccines come in two categories: preventive (prophylactic) and treatment (active). Preventive vaccines, such as the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, protect against viruses that cause certain...
Cancer cells accumulate genetic changes at an abnormally rapid rate due to the defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. From an evolutionary perspective, such genetic instability is advantageous for cancer development. Mutant cell lines accumulate a series of beneficial mutations that contribute to their progression into cancer.
Some of the advantages that cancer cells have on normal cells include - enhanced ability to divide without terminally differentiating, induce new blood vessel formation,...