Abstract
Thyroid carcinomas with follicular phenotype have demonstrated changing patterns over 30 years (1973–2003) according to data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program of the National Cancer Institute. Papillary carcinomas have significantly increased. They accounted for 74% of all cases of thyroid cancers in 1973 and 87% in 2003. During this period, the incidence rate of papillary carcinoma (including the follicular variant) increased by 189%, the rate of follicular carcinoma remained stable, and the rate of anaplastic carcinoma decreased by 22%. The rate of the follicular variant of papillary carcinoma alone increased by 173%. Thyroid cancer was more common in whites than in blacks and in females more than in males. Papillary carcinomas rapidly increased during adolescence and reached a peak around age 52–56, then declined. Follicular carcinomas increased steadily, but at a lower rate until age 80. After 1988, both papillary and follicular carcinomas, less than 2 cm, increased at the same rate as carcinomas larger than 2 cm. However, papillary carcinomas less than 2 cm were more common. Overall, the 10-year relative survival rate was greater than 90% for blacks and whites with the exception of follicular carcinoma in blacks. The 10-year relative survival rate for anaplastic carcinoma in patients over 40 years of age was 4.7%. The decrease in incidence rate of anaplastic carcinoma may be the result of the successful treatment of papillary and follicular carcinomas.
Article PDF
Similar content being viewed by others
Avoid common mistakes on your manuscript.
References
Davies L, Welch HG. Increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States, 1973–2002. JAMA 295:2164–7, 2006.
Burgess JR. Temporal trends for thyroid carcinoma in Australia: an increasing incidence of papillary thyroid carcinoma (1982–1997). Thyroid 12:141–9, 2004.
Hodgson NC, Button J, Solorzano CC. Thyroid cancer: is the incidence still increasing? Ann Surg Oncol 11:1093–7, 2004.
Haselkorn T, Bernstein L, Preston-Martin S, et al. Descriptive epidemiology of thyroid cancer in Los Angeles County, 1972–1995. Cancer Causes Control 11:163–70, 2000.
Hill RN, Crisp TM, Hurley PM, et al. Risk assessment of thyroid follicular cell tumors. Environ Health Perspect 106:447–57, 1998.
Derwahl M, Broecker M, Kraiem Z. Thyrotropin may not be the dominant growth factor in benign and malignant thyroid tumors. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 84:829–34, 1999.
Williams D. Cancer after nuclear fallout: lessons from the Chernobyl accident. Nat Rev Cancer 2:543–9, 2002.
Winship T, Rosvoll RV. Cancer of the thyroid in children. Final report of a 20 year study. Clin Proc Children’s Hosp Wash 26:327–48, 1970.
Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Program (http://www.seer.cancer.gov) SEER*Stat Database: Incidence—SEER 17 Regs Public-Use, Nov 2005 Sub (1973–2003 varying)—Linked To County Attributes—Total U.S., 1969–2003 Counties, National Cancer Institute, DCCPS, Surveillance Research Program, Cancer Statistics Branch, released April 2006, based on the November 2005 submission.8. SEER.
Levi F, Franceschi S, Te VC, et al. Trends in thyroid cancer incidence in Sweden, 1958–1981, by histopathologic type. Int J Cancer 48:28–33, 1991.
Quiros RM, Ding HG, Gattuso P, et al. Evidence that one subset of anaplastic thyroid carcinomas are derived from papillary carcinomas due to BRAF and p53 mutations. Cancer 103:2261–8, 2005.
Albores-Saavedra J, Hernandez M, Sanchez S, et al. Histologic variants of papillary and follicular carcinomas associated with anaplastic spindle and giant cell carcinomas. Analysis of rhabdoid and thyroglobulin inclusions. Am J Surg Pathol (In press).
Albores-Saavedra J, Wu J. The many faces and mimics of papillary thyroid carcinoma. Endocr Pathol 17:1–18, 2006.
Burguera B, Gharib H. Thyroid incidentalomas: prevalence, diagnosis, significance and management. Endocrinol Metab Clin N Am 29:187–203l, 2000.
Burgess JR, Tucker P. Incidence trends for papillary thyroid carcinoma and their correlation with thyroid surgery and thyroid fine-needle aspirate cytology. Thyroid 16:47–53, 2006.
Mazzaferri EL. Managing small thyroid cancer. JAMA 295:2179–82, 2006.
Lindsay S. Carcinoma of the thyroid gland. A clinical and pathologic study of 293 patients at the University of California Hospital. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas; 1960.
Verkooijen HM, Fioretta G, Pache JC, et al. Diagnostic changes as a reason for the increase in papillary thyroid cancer incidence in Geneva, Switzerland. Cancer Causes Control 14:13–17, 2003.
Hedinger C, Williams ED, Sobin LH. Histological typing of thyroid tumours, World Health Organization, 2nd ed. Berlin: Springer Verlag; 1988.
Chow SM, Law SC, Chan JK, et al. Papillary microcarcinoma of the thyroid—prognostic significance of lymph node metastasis and multifocality. Cancer 98:31–40, 2003.
Cheema Y, Olson S, Elson D, et al. What is the biology and optimal treatment for papillary microcarcinoma of the thyroid? J Surg Res 134:160–2, 2006.
Nam-Goong IS, Kim HY, Gong G, et al. Ultrasonography-guided fine-needle aspiration of thyroid incidentaloma: correlation with pathological findings. Clin Endocrinol 60:21–8, 2004.
Simpson KW, Albores-Saavedra J. Unusual findings in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma suggesting partial regression. Ann Diagn Pathol (In press).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Albores-Saavedra, J., Henson, D.E., Glazer, E. et al. Changing Patterns in the Incidence and Survival of Thyroid Cancer with Follicular Phenotype—Papillary, Follicular, and Anaplastic: A Morphological and Epidemiological Study. Endocr Pathol 18, 1–7 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12022-007-0002-z
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12022-007-0002-z