Epidemiology of Thyroid Cancer

Rodrigo Arrangoiz MS, MD, FACS, FSSO
  • The incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States has tripled over the past three decades:
    • The majority of which is due to small papillary thyroid carcinomas:
      • This trend has also been noted in many other coun- tries across Europe, Asia, Oceania, and South America
  • The incidence is rising in both genders and across all age groups, including children and adolescents
  • Fortunately, in the United States, the incidence rates may be stabilizing, though it remains to be seen if the plateau will persist
  • Although the incidence of thyroid cancer has risen in recent times, PTC remains a relatively rare tumor:
    • Representing only 3.1% of all new cancer cases
    • It is estimated that 44, 020 new cases (2.2% of all the cancer cases) will be diagnosed in 2024, and 2,170 (0.4% of cancer deaths) deaths were attributed to thyroid cancer during this period
    • In spite of the recent upward trend in thyroid cancer incidence, mortality rates remain stable:
      • Suggesting a significant proportion of new cases represent overdiagnosis
      • Indeed, there is a large reservoir of undiagnosed disease:
        • With thyroid cancer identified in up to 36% of cases of autopsy studies:
          • A prevalence that is more than 1000-fold higher than the rates of disease that are clinically diagnosed in the general population
  • Further support of the role of increased diagnostic scrutiny in the uptrend is revealed by the numbers of small cancers detected:
    • 87% of newly diagnosed cancers are 2 cm or smaller
    • 49% are < 1 cm:
      • However, it should be noted that several studies have determined that thyroid cancers of all sizes are on the rise suggesting that overdiagnosis is not solely to blame for increased incidence
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Published by Rodrigo Arrangoiz MS, MD, FACS, FSSO

My name is Rodrigo Arrangoiz I am a breast surgeon/ thyroid surgeon / parathyroid surgeon / head and neck surgeon / surgical oncologist that works at Center for Advanced Surgical Oncology in Miami, Florida. I was trained as a surgeon at Michigan State University from (2005 to 2010) where I was a chief resident in 2010. My surgical oncology and head and neck training was performed at the Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia from 2010 to 2012. At the same time I underwent a masters in science (Clinical research for health professionals) at the University of Drexel. Through the International Federation of Head and Neck Societies / Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center I performed a two year head and neck surgery and oncology / endocrine fellowship that ended in 2016. Mi nombre es Rodrigo Arrangoiz, soy cirujano oncólogo / cirujano de tumores de cabeza y cuello / cirujano endocrino que trabaja Center for Advanced Surgical Oncology en Miami, Florida. Fui entrenado como cirujano en Michigan State University (2005 a 2010 ) donde fui jefe de residentes en 2010. Mi formación en oncología quirúrgica y e n tumores de cabeza y cuello se realizó en el Fox Chase Cancer Center en Filadelfia de 2010 a 2012. Al mismo tiempo, me sometí a una maestría en ciencias (investigación clínica para profesionales de la salud) en la Universidad de Drexel. A través de la Federación Internacional de Sociedades de Cabeza y Cuello / Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center realicé una sub especialidad en cirugía de cabeza y cuello / cirugia endocrina de dos años que terminó en 2016.

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