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Open AccessJournal ArticleDOI

Increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States, 1973-2002.

Louise Davies, +1 more
- 10 May 2006 - 
- Vol. 295, Iss: 18, pp 2164-2167
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TLDR
In this article, the authors examined trends in thyroid cancer incidence, histology, size distribution, and mortality in the United States, concluding that the increasing incidence of thyroid cancer is primarily due to the increased detection of small papillary cancers.
Abstract
ContextIncreasing cancer incidence is typically interpreted as an increase in the true occurrence of disease but may also reflect changing pathological criteria or increased diagnostic scrutiny. Changes in the diagnostic approach to thyroid nodules may have resulted in an increase in the apparent incidence of thyroid cancer.ObjectiveTo examine trends in thyroid cancer incidence, histology, size distribution, and mortality in the United States.MethodsRetrospective cohort evaluation of patients with thyroid cancer, 1973-2002, using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program and data on thyroid cancer mortality from the National Vital Statistics System.Main Outcome MeasuresThyroid cancer incidence, histology, size distribution, and mortality.ResultsThe incidence of thyroid cancer increased from 3.6 per 100 000 in 1973 to 8.7 per 100 000 in 2002—a 2.4-fold increase (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.2-2.6; P .20 for trend). Virtually the entire increase is attributable to an increase in incidence of papillary thyroid cancer, which increased from 2.7 to 7.7 per 100 000—a 2.9-fold increase (95% CI, 2.6-3.2; P<.001 for trend). Between 1988 (the first year SEER collected data on tumor size) and 2002, 49% (95% CI, 47%-51%) of the increase consisted of cancers measuring 1 cm or smaller; 87% (95% CI, 85%-89%) consisted of cancers measuring 2 cm or smaller. Mortality from thyroid cancer was stable between 1973 and 2002 (approximately 0.5 deaths per 100 000).ConclusionsThe increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States is predominantly due to the increased detection of small papillary cancers. These trends, combined with the known existence of a substantial reservoir of subclinical cancer and stable overall mortality, suggest that increasing incidence reflects increased detection of subclinical disease, not an increase in the true occurrence of thyroid cancer.

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References
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Journal ArticleDOI

Management of a Solitary Thyroid Nodule

TL;DR: This review describes a strategy for the treatment of clinically euthyroid patients who have a solitary thyroid nodule that prevents unnecessary testing while identifying the few patients who require therapy.
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Overdiagnosis Due to Prostate-Specific Antigen Screening: Lessons From U.S. Prostate Cancer Incidence Trends

TL;DR: The results suggest that the majority of screen-detected cancers diagnosed between 1988 and 1998 would have presented clinically and that only a minority of cases found at autopsy would have been detected by PSA testing.
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Occult papillary carcinoma of the thyroid. A “normal” finding in finland. A systematic autopsy study

TL;DR: According to the study, OPC can be regarded as a normal finding which should not be treated when incidentally found and in order to avoid unnecessary operations it is suggested that incidentally found small OPCs were called occult papillary tumor instead of carcinoma.
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Thyroid Incidentalomas: Prevalence by Palpation and Ultrasonography

TL;DR: The data indicate that thyroid abnormalities are very common incidental findings, emphasizing the need for a conservative approach when such lesions are encountered incidentally.
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