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. 2023 Apr 21;12(3):e220183.
doi: 10.1530/ETJ-22-0183. Print 2023 Jun 1.

Age-standardized incidence, mortality rate, and trend changes of thyroid cancer in the Balearic Islands during the 2000-2020 period: a population-based study

Santiago Tofé  1 , Iñaki Argüelles  1 , Ana Forteza  2 , Cristina Álvarez  3 , Alessandra Repetto  4 , Luis Masmiquel  5 , Irene Rodríguez  5 , Eladio Losada  6 , Nuria Sukunza  7 , María Cabrer  8 , Mildred Sifontes  9 , María Del Mar Del Barrio  9 , Antonia Barceló  10 , Álvaro Tofé  11 , Vicente Pereg  1
Affiliations

Age-standardized incidence, mortality rate, and trend changes of thyroid cancer in the Balearic Islands during the 2000-2020 period: a population-based study

Santiago Tofé et al. Eur Thyroid J. .

Abstract

Objective: Global thyroid cancer (TC) incidence is growing worldwide, but great heterogenicity exists among published studies, and thus, population-specific epidemiological studies are needed to adequate health resources and evaluate the impact of overdiagnosis.

Methods: We conducted a Public Health System database retrospective review of TC incident cases from 2000 to 2020 in the Balearic Islands region and evaluated age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age at diagnosis, gender distribution, tumor size and histological subtype, mortality rate (MR), and cause of death. Estimated annual percent changes (EAPCs) were also evaluated and data from the 2000-2009 period were compared to the 2010-2020 period when neck ultrasound (US) was routinely performed by clinicians at Endocrinology Departments.

Results: A total of 1387 incident cases of TC were detected. Overall, ASIR (×105) was 5.01 with a 7.82% increment in EAPC. A significant increase in the 2010-2020 period was seen for ASIR (6.99 vs 2.82, P < 0.001) and age at diagnosis (52.11 vs 47.32, P < 0.001) compared to the 2000-2009 period. A reduction in tumor size (2.00 vs 2.78 cm, P < 0.001) and a 6.31% increase in micropapillary TC (P < 0.05) were also seen. Disease-specific MR remained stable at 0.21 (×105). The mean age at diagnosis for all mortality groups was older than survivors (P < 0.001).

Conclusion: The incidence of TC has grown in the 2000-2020 period in the Balearic Islands, but MR has not changed. Beyond other factors, a significant contribution of overdiagnosis to this increased incidence is likely due to changes in the routine management of thyroid nodular disease and increased availability of neck US.

Keywords: age-standardized incidence; mortality; overdiagnosis; thyroid cancer.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest that could be perceived as prejudicing the impartiality of the research reported.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Incident cases and cumulative age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR) of thyroid cancer in the Balearic Islands from 2000 to 2020.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Cumulative percentage of micropapillary thyroid cancer (MPTC) and mean tumor size of thyroid cancer in the Balearic Islands from 2000 to 2020.
Figure 3
Figure 3
(A) Survival curve by cause of death and last available observation and (B) Box plot indicating age at diagnosis by cause of death in patients with thyroid cancer (TC) in the Balearic Islands from 2000 to 2020.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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