All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality Among Low-Risk Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Survivors in the United States
Authors' conclusion
Overall, our findings provide reassurance regarding low overall and cause-specific mortality rates in individuals with low-risk DTC.
Study context
- Population
- Individuals diagnosed with first primary low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) (≤4 cm, localized), US SEER-12 registry 1992–2019; 81.8% female
- Participants
- 51,854 individuals
- Exposure
- Low-risk DTC survivors vs matched US general population
- Low-risk DTCn = 51,854
- Outcome
- All-cause and cause-specific mortality
Methodological detailspopulation-based, SEER-12 cancer registry, competing-risks analysis, standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) vs matched US general population
- Population-based
- SEER-12 cancer registry
- Competing-risks analysis
- SMRs vs matched US general population
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Lower than expected mortality, all causes excluding thyroid cancer: SMR
0.69 (0.67-0.71) (CI)
Lower than expected mortality, all malignancies combined (other than thyroid cancer): SMR
0.80 (0.75-0.85) (CI)
Lower than expected mortality, cardiovascular disease (CVD): SMR
0.64 (0.60-0.69) (CI)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Elevated mortality from specific cancers (SMR)
- Pancreas: SMR
- 1.58 (1.18-2.06) (CI)
- Kidney and renal pelvis: SMR
- 1.85 (1.10-2.93) (CI)
- Brain and other nervous system: SMR
- 1.62 (0.99-2.51) (CI)
- Myeloma: SMR
- 2.35 (1.46-3.60) (CI)
- Leukemia: SMR
- 1.62 (1.07-2.36) (CI)
- Associations stronger ≥10 years after diagnosis
Deaths and causes of death · median follow-up 8.8 years
- Deaths recorded
- 3467 (6.7%)
- Thyroid cancer deaths, share of deaths
- n = 148 (4.3%)
- Malignancies (other than thyroid cancer)
- n = 1031 (29.7%)
- CVD
- n = 912 (26.3%)
20-year cumulative mortality
- Thyroid cancer
- 0.6%
- Malignancies (other than thyroid or nonmelanoma skin cancer)
- 4.6%
- CVD
- 3.9%
- Accounting for competing risks
Radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment and cause-specific mortality
- RAI was not associated with risk of cause-specific death
- Numbers of events were small and the range of administered activities was likely narrow
Original publication
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →