Survival of 86,690 patients with thyroid cancer: A population-based study in 29 European countries from EUROCARE-5

Impact of the new guidelines of the American Thyroid Association on the treatment of the differentiated thyroid tumor in an Italian center with medium-high volume thyroid surgery

Background

The therapy for differentiated thyroid tumors is currently built upon two cornerstones: the stage of the disease and the new guidelines of the American Thyroid Association, jointly converging to lobohystmectomy for selected cases that meet certain criteria. The aim of the study was to relate these guidelines to the activity of an Italian center with a medium-high volume of thyroidectomies in a region with a high rate of endemic disease of the thyroid.

Methods

In order to conduct the analysis, the clinical records of the last 3 years, including 194 cases of total thyroidectomy and 3 lobohystmectomy, were taken into consideration. There were 46 cases of differentiated thyroid cancer (18 incidental tumors were found during thyroidectomies for benign diseases). Postoperative complications, patient characteristics and the stage of the tumor were assessed in relation to the new ATA guidelines.

Results

All patients underwent total thyroidectomy, with 2 of them also undergoing lymphadenectomy. The incidence of transient hypoparathyroidism was 19% with 1 case of permanent deficit. No cases of recurrent nerve injury were reported. Twenty-five out of the 28 patients with cancer preoperatively diagnosed were found with more nodules and in 15 of them the nodule had a diameter bigger than 1 cm. All the parameters suggested lobohystmectomy only for one case.

The treatment for the differentiated thyroid tumor is still widely discussed. Above all, differences between populations, screening methods and surveillance programs are still evident.

Conclusions

The ATA guidelines applied to our cases, even if limited, have shown limited applicability to our study, mainly due to the high incidence of multinodularity and the size of the nodule: typical characteristics of a region with a high rate of endemic thyroid pathology.

The efficacy of radioactive iodine for the treatment of well-differentiated thyroid cancer with distant metastasis

Objective

Radioactive iodine (¹³¹I) has been used as a treatment for high-risk well-differentiated thyroid cancer after thyroidectomy. The aim of this study was to evaluate the long-term follow-up results after using high accumulated doses of ¹³¹I (>600 mCi) for the treatment of well-differentiated thyroid cancer.

Patients and methods

In this study, we retrospectively evaluated prospectively enrolled patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer who were treated and followed up in Chang Gung Memorial Hospital in Linkou and Keelung, Taiwan. All the patients underwent thyroidectomy between 1979 and 2016.

Results

For our study, 228 patients with papillary and follicular thyroid carcinoma with distant metastases were enrolled. Of the 228 patients, 71 (31.1%) received ¹³¹I therapy with an accumulated dose of at least 600 mCi. Forty-four died because of disease-specific mortality (DSM) after a mean follow-up of 10.6±6.3 years. Compared with the patients in the DSM group, which included 27 survival cases, patients who were younger, and those with a multifocal tumor, more extensive thyroidectomy, and papillary thyroid carcinoma showed better prognosis. The DSM group included a higher percentage of patients who developed a secondary primary cancer after receiving a diagnosis of thyroid cancer than the survival group (18.2 vs. 3.7%). However, the difference did not reach statistical significance (P=0.075).

Conclusion

¹³¹I provided an effective therapeutic modality for well-differentiated thyroid cancer patients with distant metastasis. After a mean of follow-up 10 years, more than 60% of cases resulted in DSM when high accumulated ¹³¹I doses were administered.

Circulating Epithelial Cell Characterization and Correlation with Remission and Survival in Patients with Thyroid Cancer

BACKGROUND

Thyroid cancer is the most common endocrine tumor and generally has relatively good clinical outcomes. However, 15-20% of patients ultimately develop recurrence or disease-related death. The appropriate prognostic factors for thyroid cancer are still elusive. This study evaluated whether the number of circulating tumor cells/circulating epithelial cells (CECs) expressing either epithelial cell adhesion molecule (EpCAM), podoplanin (PDPN), or thyrotropin receptor (TSHR) is related to remission and disease-specific mortality (DSM) of patients with thyroid cancer.

METHODS

Blood samples were collected from patients (n = 128) after thyroidectomy or radioactive iodide therapy. CECs were enriched by lysis of red blood cells and depletion of leukocytes. Subtyping and quantification of the enriched cells were performed with immunofluorescence staining using antibodies against EpCAM, TSHR, and PDPN, respectively. Whether the number of a specific subtype of CECs is related to remission and DSM of patients was determined by univariate and multivariate analyses.

RESULTS

The EpCAM⁺-CECs, TSHR⁺-CECs, and PDPN⁺-CECs counts for patients in the non-remission group (n = 43) were significantly higher when compared to the remission group (n = 85; p < 0.001). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the number of EpCAM⁺-CECs, TSHR⁺-CECs, and PDPN⁺-CECs was able to distinguish the status of remission from non-remission. The cutoff point for EpCAM⁺-CECs, TSHR⁺-CECs, and PDPN⁺-CECs was 40, 47, and 14 (cells/mL), with the accuracy of the assay equivalent to 80.4%, 76.6%, and 77.3%, respectively. On the other hand, the number of EpCAM⁺-CECs (p < 0.001), PDPN⁺-CECs (p = 0.013), and TSHR⁺-CECs (p < 0.001) for patients in the DSM group (n = 17) was significantly higher when compared to the patients who survived (n = 111). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that EpCAM⁺-CECs, TSHR⁺-CECs, and PDPN⁺-CECs counts were able to distinguish mortality from survival status. The cutoff point for EpCAM⁺-CECs, TSHR⁺-CECs, and PDPN⁺-CECs was 27, 25, and 9 (cells/mL), with the accuracy of the assay equivalent to 69.5%, 67.2%, and 68.5%, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

CEC testing is a useful tool for analysis of overall survival and remission status of patients with thyroid cancer. Implementation of CEC testing into routine clinical test may be worthy to consider for patient clinical care.

Differences in cancer survival by sex: a population-based study using cancer registry data

PURPOSE

Few large-scale studies have investigated sex differences in cancer survival and little is known about their temporal and age-related patterns.

METHODS

We used cancer registry data for first primary cancers diagnosed between 1982 and 2015 in Victoria, Australia. Cases were followed until the end of 2015 through linkage to death registries. Differences in survival were assessed for 25 cancers using the Pohar-Perme estimator of net survival and the excess mortality rate ratio (EMRR) adjusting for age and year of diagnosis.

RESULTS

Five-year net survival for all cancers combined was lower for men (47.1%; 95% CI 46.9-47.4) than women (52.0%; 95% CI 51.7-52.3); EMRR 1.13 (95% CI 1.12-1.14; p < 0.001). A survival disadvantage for men was observed for 11 cancers: head and neck, esophagus, colorectum, pancreas, lung, bone, melanoma, mesothelioma, kidney, thyroid, and non-Hodgkin lymphoma. In contrast, women had lower survival from cancers of the bladder, renal pelvis, and ureter. For the majority of cancers with survival differences, the EMRR decreased with increasing age at diagnosis; for colorectal, esophageal, and kidney cancer, the EMRR increased with time since diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

Identifying the underlying reasons behind sex differences in cancer survival is necessary to address inequalities, which may improve outcomes for men and women.

Decreasing Disease-Specific Mortality of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer in Korea: A Multicenter Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Recent studies have reported improved survival in patients with thyroid cancer. This study evaluated the changes in disease-specific survival (DSS) of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) in association with clinicopathologic characteristics from 1996 to 2005 in Korea.

METHODS

This was a retrospective, multicenter cohort study. A total of 4398 DTC patients were included, and they were classified according to the year of initial surgery: 1996-2000 (period 1), 2001-2003 (period 2), and 2004-2005 (period 3).

RESULTS

During the study period, patient age and the proportion of papillary thyroid cancer increased gradually. Primary tumors became smaller (2.3 ± 1.4 cm at period 1 to 1.5 ± 1.2 cm at period 3; p < 0.001). The proportion of high-volume lymph node metastases decreased significantly (20% at period 1 to 13% at period 3; p for trend <0.001). DSS differed significantly according to period during the median 10 years follow-up (p = 0.002). The 10-year DSS rates were 98.0%, 98.7%, and 99.2% in periods 1, 2, and 3, respectively. After adjusting for various characteristics, the disease-specific mortality risk was significantly lower during period 2 (hazard ratio = 0.49 [confidence interval CI 0.25-0.90], p = 0.021) and period 3 (hazard ratio = 0.40 [confidence interval 0.21-0.77], p = 0.006) compared to that of period 1. This trend was also significant in a subgroup analysis of low (I-II) and high (III-IV) TNM stages.

CONCLUSIONS

The disease-specific mortality of patients with DTC in Korea decreased over time. Earlier detection of small DTCs with less extensive disease and standardization of treatment may be associated with this phenomenon.

Low-Dose Radioiodine Ablation in Patients with Low-Risk Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

AIM

Based on the response criteria of the 2015 American Thyroid Associations guidelines, our objectives were to -determine the response rate when using a low dose of -131-I GBq in patients with low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer (LRDTC) and the influence of clinical and analytical variables on the prediction of complete response.

METHODS

We performed a multicentre and longitudinal study, including patients who were operated for LRDTC and who underwent radioiodine remnant ablation with a low-dose of 131-I. All patients were assessed at 6-12 months, and their status was classified as complete (excellent response) or incomplete response (structural incomplete, biochemical incomplete or indeterminate response). Various factors including age, gender, histology, tumour focality and size, stage, time from surgery to treatment, type of thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) stimulation, preablation serum thyroglobulin (pTg), antiTg antibodies (pAntiTgAb) and TSH (pTSH) levels were also analysed in order to predict the complete response rate.

RESULTS

Of 108 patients, 79.6$ achieved complete response and the remaining showed incomplete response (2.9, 5.5 and 12$ due to biochemical incomplete, structural incomplete and indeterminate response respectively). Six patients received a new dose of 131-I. Tumour size and pAntiTgAb were the only factors related to therapeutic response (p = 0.03 and p < 0.01, respectively). However, pAntiTgAb was the only independent factor related to complete -response. Patients with complete response showed lower pTg than those with incomplete response (5.1 ± 12.9 vs. 11.2 ± 25 ng/mL) although without statistical significance (p = 0.14). There was no significant difference in the response rate depending on the thyrotropin stimulation methods.

CONCLUSIONS

A low dose of 131-I was sufficient for reaching a complete response at 6-12 months of follow-up in the majority of patients with LRDTC. Tumour size and pAntiTgAb variables were related to therapeutic response.

A potential biomarker hsa-miR-200a-5p distinguishing between benign thyroid tumors with papillary hyperplasia and papillary thyroid carcinoma

Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is the most common endocrine cancer with a significantly increase of the incidence recently. Several cytokines, such as thyroid peroxidase (TPO), cluster of differentiation 56 (CD56), Galectin-3, mesothelial cell (MC), cytokeratin 19 (CK19) and BRAF (B-raf) were recommended to be tested by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for a definitive diagnosis, but were still limited in clinical use because of their relative lower sensitivity and specificity. MicroRNA (miRNA), as a new molecular biomarkers, however, has not been reported yet so far. To address this, hsa-miR-200a-5p, a miRNA, was selected and detected in PTC patients by in situ hybrization with benign thyroid tumor with papillary hyperplasia as a control, and the differential expression of hsa-miR-200a-5p between fresh PTC tissues and control was detected by qRT-PCR. Expressive levels of cytokines of TPO, CD56, Galectin-3, MC, CK19 and B-raf were also detected by immunohistochemistry. The correlation was analyzed by SPSS software using Spearman methods. As expected, the hsa-miR-200a-5p expressive level was significantly increased in PTC patients, compared to that of control, and was consistent with that of TPO, CD56, Galectin-3, MC, CK19 and B-raf. In addition, expression of hsa-miR-200a-5p showed negative correlation to that of TPO (rs = - 0.734; **: P < 0.01) and CD56 (rs = - 0.570; **: P < 0.01), but positive correlation to that of Galectin-3 (rs = 0.601; **: P < 0.01), MC (rs = 0.508; **: P < 0.01), CK19 (rs = 0.712; **: P < 0.01) and B-raf (rs = 0.378; **: P < 0.01). PTC and papillary benign thyroid papillary hyperplasia are difficult to distinguish in morphology, so requiring immunohistochemistry to further differentiate the diagnosis, however, for the existing clinical common diagnostic marker for immunohistochemistry, the sensitivity and accuracy are low, it is easy to miss diagnosis. Therefore, there is an urgent need for a rapid and sensitive molecular marker. So miR-200a-5p can be used to assist in the diagnosis of PTC at the molecular level, and as a biomarker, can be effectively used to distinguish between PTC and benign thyroid tumor with papillary hyperplasia.

The impact of overdiagnosis on thyroid cancer epidemic in Italy,1998-2012

AIMS

In Italy, incidence rates of thyroid cancer (TC) are among the highest worldwide with substantial intracountry heterogeneity. The aim of the study was to examine time trends of TC incidence in Italy and to estimate the proportion of TC cases potentially attributable to overdiagnosis.

METHODS

Data on TC cases reported to Italian cancer registries during 1998-2012 aged <85 years were included. Age-standardised incidence rates (ASR) were computed by sex, period, and histology. TC overdiagnosis was estimated by sex, period, age, and Italian region.

RESULTS

In Italy between 1998-2002 and 2008-2012, TC ASR increased of 74% in women (from 16.2 to 28.2/100,000) and of 90% in men (from 5.3 to 10.1/100,000). ASR increases were nearly exclusively due to papillary TC (+91% in women, +120% in men). In both sexes, more than three-fold differences emerged between regions with highest and lowest ASR. Among TC cases diagnosed in 1998-2012 in Italy, we estimated that overdiagnosis accounted for 75% of cases in women and 63% in men and increased over the study period leading to overdiagnosis of 79% in women and 67% in men in 2008-2012. Notably, overdiagnosis was over 80% among women aged <55 years, and substantial variations were documented across Italian regions, in both genders.

CONCLUSION(S)

Incidence rates of TC are steadily increasing in Italy and largely due to overdiagnosis. These findings call for an update of thyroid gland examination practices in the asymptomatic general population, at national and regional levels.

Is low survival for cancer in Eastern Europe due principally to late stage at diagnosis?

BACKGROUND

Cancer survival has persistently been shown to be worse for Eastern European and UK/Ireland patients than those of other European regions. This is often attributed to later stage at diagnosis. However, few stage-specific survival comparisons are available, so it is unclear whether poorer quality treatment or other factors also contribute. For the first time, European cancer registries have provided stage-at-diagnosis data to EUROCARE, enabling population-based stage-specific survival estimates across Europe.

DATA AND METHODS

In this retrospective observational study, stage at diagnosis (as TNM, condensed TNM, or Extent of Disease) was analysed for patients (≥15 years) from 15 countries grouped into 4 regions (Northern Europe: Norway; Central Europe: Austria, France, Germany, Switzerland, The Netherlands; Southern Europe: Croatia, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain; and Eastern Europe: Bulgaria, Estonia, Lithuania, Poland, and Slovakia), diagnosed with 7 malignant cancers in 2000-2007, and followed to end of 2008. A new variable (reconstructed stage) was created which used all available stage information. Age-standardised 5-year relative survival (RS) by reconstructed stage was estimated and compared between regions. Excess risks of cancer death in the 5 years after diagnosis were also estimated, taking age, sex and stage into account.

RESULTS

Low proportions of Eastern European patients were diagnosed with local stage cancers and high proportions with metastatic stage cancers. Stage-specific RS (especially for non-metastatic disease) was generally lower for Eastern European patients. After adjusting for age, sex, and stage, excess risks of death remained higher for Eastern European patients than for European patients in general.

CONCLUSIONS

Late diagnosis alone does not explain worse cancer survival in Eastern Europe: greater risk of cancer death together with worse stage-specific survival suggest less effective care, probably in part because fewer resources are allocated to health care than in the rest of Europe. We recommend that Eastern European cancer registries and other involved bodies to draw attention to poor cancer survival, so as to stimulate research and inform policies to improve outcomes.

MRI Texture Analysis Reflects Histopathology Parameters in Thyroid Cancer - A First Preliminary Study

OBJECT

Thyroid cancer represents the most frequent malignancy of the endocrine system with an increasing incidence worldwide. Novel imaging techniques are able to further characterize tumors and even predict histopathology features. Texture analysis is an emergent imaging technique to extract extensive data from an radiology images. The present study was therefore conducted to identify possible associations between texture analysis and histopathology parameters in thyroid cancer.

METHODS

The radiological database was retrospectively reviewed for thyroid carcinoma. Overall, 13 patients (3 females, 23.1%) with a mean age of 61.6 years were identified. The MaZda program was used for texture analysis. The T1-precontrast and T2-weighted images were analyzed and overall 279 texture feature for each sequence was investigated. For every patient cell count, Ki67-index and p53 count were investigated.

RESULTS

Several significant correlations between texture features and histopathology were identified. Regarding T1-weighted images, S(0;1)Sum Averg correlated the most with cell count (r=0.82). An inverse correlations with S(5;0)AngScMom, S(5;0)DifVarnc S(5;0), DiffEntrp and GrNonZeros (r=-0.69, -0.66, -0.69 and -0.63, respectively) was also identified. For T2-weighted images, Variance with r=0.63 was the highest coefficient, WavEnLL_S3 correlated inversely with cell count (r=-0.57). WavEnLL_S2 derived from T1-weighted images was the highest coefficient r=-0.80, S(0;5)SumVarnc was positively with r=0.74. Regarding T2-weighted images WavEnHL_s-1 was inverse correlated with Ki67 index (r=-0.77). S(1;0)Correlat was with r=0.75 the best correlation with Ki67 index. For T1-weighed images S(5;0)SumofSqs was the best with r=0.65 with p53 count. For T2-weighted images S(1;-1)SumEntrp was the inverse correlation with r=-0.72, whereas S(0;4)AngScMom correlated positively with r=0.63.

CONCLUSIONS

MRI texture analysis derived from conventional sequences reflects histopathology features in thyroid cancer. This technique might be a novel noninvasive modality to further characterize thyroid cancer in clinical oncology.

Disease-Specific Mortality of Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Patients in Korea: A Multicenter Cohort Study

BACKGROUND

Little is known regarding disease-specific mortality of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) patients and its risk factors in Korea.

METHODS

We retrospectively reviewed a large multi-center cohort of thyroid cancer from six Korean hospitals and included 8,058 DTC patients who underwent initial surgery between 1996 and 2005.

RESULTS

Mean age of patients at diagnosis was 46.2±12.3 years; 87% were females. Most patients had papillary thyroid cancer (PTC; 97%) and underwent total thyroidectomy (85%). Mean size of the primary tumor was 1.6±1.0 cm. Approximately 40% of patients had cervical lymph node (LN) metastases and 1.3% had synchronous distant metastases. During 11.3 years of follow-up, 150 disease-specific mortalities (1.9%) occurred; the 10-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rate was 98%. According to the year of diagnosis, the number of disease-specific mortality was not different. However, the rate of disease-specific mortality decreased during the study period (from 7.7% to 0.7%). Older age (≥45 years) at diagnosis, male, follicular thyroid cancer (FTC) versus PTC, larger tumor size (>2 cm), presence of extrathyroidal extension (ETE), lateral cervical LN metastasis, distant metastasis and tumor node metastasis (TNM) stage were independent risk factors of disease-specific mortality of DTC patients.

CONCLUSION

The rate of disease-specific mortality of Korean DTC patients was 1.9%; the 10-year DSS rate was 98% during 1996 to 2005. Older age at diagnosis, male, FTC, larger tumor size, presence of ETE, lateral cervical LN metastasis, distant metastasis, and TNM stages were significant risk factors of disease-specific mortality of Korean DTC patients.

Bridging the gap between the randomised clinical trial world and the real world by combination of population-based registry and electronic health record data: A case study in haemato-oncology

Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) are considered the basis of evidence-based medicine. It is recognised more and more that application of RCT results in daily practice of clinical decision-making is limited because the RCT world does not correspond with the clinical real world. Recent strategies aiming at substitution of RCT databases by improved population-based registries (PBRs) or by improved electronic health record (EHR) systems to provide significant data for clinical science are discussed. A novel approach exemplified by the HemoBase haemato-oncology project is presented. In this approach, a PBR is combined with an advanced EHR, providing high-quality data for observational studies and support of best practice development. This PBR + EHR approach opens a perspective on randomised registry trials.