In-depth analysis of thyroid cancer mortality

Brandon LaBarge; Vonn Walter; Darrin V Bann; David Goldenberg

doi:10.1002/hed.26577

In-depth analysis of thyroid cancer mortality

Head Neck. 2021 Mar;43(3):977-983. doi: 10.1002/hed.26577. Epub 2020 Dec 12.

Authors

Brandon LaBarge¹, Vonn Walter^{2

3}, Darrin V Bann¹, David Goldenberg¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
² Department of Public Health Sciences, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.
³ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, College of Medicine, Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA.

PMID: 33314464
DOI: 10.1002/hed.26577

Abstract

Background: There are reports of an increasing thyroid cancer mortality rate. This study aimed to analyze the latest trends in this rate over time and compare findings from different cancer registries.

Methods: Thyroid cancer incidence-based mortality (IBM) rates were obtained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) program, including SEER-9, SEER-13, and SEER-18. The National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) thyroid cancer mortality rate was acquired for comparison. Statistical analysis was performed using the JoinPoint software.

Results: NCHS data revealed an overall annual percent change (APC) over 1987 to 2017 of 0.61 (P < .01), and the value was nearly four times greater for males compared to females. The overall IBM APC values for SEER-9, SEER-13, and SEER-18 were also positive and statistically significant (P < .01).

Conclusions: The increased thyroid cancer mortality rate observed in previous studies continues to be statistically significant based on updated NCHS and SEER IBM data.

Keywords: head and neck cancer; incidence; mortality; overdiagnosis; thyroid cancer.

MeSH terms

Female
Humans
Incidence
Male
Registries
Research Design
SEER Program
Thyroid Neoplasms*
United States / epidemiology