Although thyroid cancer incidence rates have increased globally, mortality rates have remained low and stable. This pattern may be the result of overdiagnosis. This article, published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, analyzes the distribution of thyroid cancer incidence and mortality rates from 2020 to better understand the disease’s epidemiological status.
The researchers gathered age-standardized incidence and mortality rates per 100,000 person-years of thyroid cancer for 185 countries by sex and 18 age groups. Data were collected from the GLOBOCAN database and organized by country, world region, and according to the United Nation’s 2020 Human Development Index.
Ultimately, it was found that for both men and women, thyroid cancer incidence rates were much higher in areas with high and very high Human Development Index scores, but mortality rates were fairly similar throughout the world. Simply put, it seems that thyroid cancer overdiagnosis is a global problem, and healthcare providers should be made aware of this ongoing public health concern [1].
Source:
[1] Pizzato, M., Li, M., Vignat, J., Laversanne, M., Singh, D., La Vecchia, C., & Vaccarella, S. (2022). The epidemiological landscape of thyroid cancer worldwide: GLOBOCAN estimates for incidence and mortality rates in 2020. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 10(4), 264–272. https://doi.org/10.1016/s2213-8587(22)00035-3