A National Perspective of the Risk, Presentation, and Outcomes of Pediatric Thyroid Cancer

Abstract

Importance: Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine malignant neoplasm in children and adolescents. Despite a more advanced presentation of thyroid cancer, younger patients tend to have a more favorable prognosis and a lower mortality rate than adults with thyroid cancer.

Objective: To examine the presentation and outcomes of thyroid cancer in pediatric patients.

Design, setting, and participants: A cross-sectional weighted analysis was performed using data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample from January 1, 2003, to December 31, 2010. Patient data were derived from a sample of 20% of community hospitals in the United States. Six hundred forty-four children and adolescents (age, <18 years; hereinafter referred to as children) with thyroid cancer were compared with 43 536 adults (age, ≥18 years) with thyroid cancer. Data were analyzed from December 7, 2014, to November 19, 2015.

Exposures: Thyroid cancer and thyroidectomy.

Main outcomes and measures: Presentation and management characteristics of thyroid cancer and thyroidectomy outcomes in relation to surgeon volume and specialty.

Results: A total of 644 cases of pediatric thyroid cancer were included (female, 77.3%; mean [SEM] age, 13.8 [0.2] years), corresponding to a weighted sample of 32 563. Compared with adults with thyroid cancer, children were more likely to present with cervical lymph node involvement (31.5% vs 14.7%; odds ratio [OR], 2.29; 95% CI, 1.76-2.97; P < .001) and lung metastases (5.7% vs 2.2%; OR, 2.79; 95% CI, 1.82-4.28; P < .001), whereas bone metastases were more frequent in adults (0.3% vs 1.1%; OR, 0.23; 95% CI, 0.06-0.90; P = .04). Children were more likely to be treated by a low-volume surgeon (26.9% vs 16.0%; OR, 2.09; 95% CI, 1.26-3.48; P = .005) or a pediatric surgeon (14.5% vs 9.6%; OR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.04-2.67; P = .04) and in a low-volume hospital (20.5% vs 15.2%; OR, 2.97; 95% CI, 1.60-5.54; P < .001) or a teaching hospital (81.7% vs 63.1%; OR, 3.61; 95% CI, 2.33-5.60; P < .001). Compared with those treated by low-volume surgeons, children treated by high-volume surgeons were less likely to experience postoperative complications (14.3% vs 35.9%; OR, 0.16; 95% CI, 0.05-0.51; P = .002) or a hospital stay of more than 1 day (49.8% vs 67.9%; OR, 0.36; 95% CI, 0.15-0.90; P = .03). Management by pediatric surgeons did not significantly alter the risk for postoperative complications compared with other specialties (21.3% vs 18.5%; OR, 1.71; 95% CI, 0.64-4.53, P = .28). Management of thyroid cancer in children was significantly more costly (>$10 067.08/case) compared with adults (P = .04).

Conclusions and relevance: Compared with thyroid cancer in adults, pediatric thyroid cancer is more likely to present as advanced disease and to be managed by low-volume or pediatric surgeons. In addition, within the United States, surgeon volume appears to be more crucial in determining thyroidectomy outcomes than the surgeon's field of specialization.