Early mortality critically impedes improvements in thyroid cancer survival through a half century
Authors' conclusion
We documented worse relative survival in the first year than in the 4 subsequent years, most likely because of rare anaplastic cancer. Overall survival in thyroid cancer patients increased in the Nordic countries in the course of 50 years; 5-year survival was close to 90% for men and close to 95% for women. Even though overdiagnosis may explain some of 5-year survival increase, it is unlikely to influence the substantial increase in 1-year survival. The unmet need is to increase 1-year survival by diagnosing and treating aggressive tumors before metastatic spread.
Study context
- Population
- Thyroid cancer patients in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, 1971–2020
- Exposure
- Men vs Women
- Outcome
- Relative 1-, 5/1 (conditional)- and 5-year survival
Methodological detailsNORDCAN database, 4 Nordic countries, 1971-2020
- NORDCAN database
- 4 Nordic countries
- 1971-2020
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Relative survival (mean for the 4 countries)
5-year relative survival
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Incidence and mortality · 1971-2020
- Incidence increase, men
- 3-fold
- Incidence increase, women
- 4-fold
- Mortality, men
- halved
- Mortality, women
- decreased by 2/3
Original publication
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