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Life expectancy normal for most patients with differentiated thyroid cancer
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More than 85% of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer in Germany did not have a lower life expectancy when compared with the general population, according to data from a study published in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Frederik A. Verburg, MD, PhD, of the University Hospital Aachen, and colleagues conducted a prospective database study of 2,011 patients treated for differentiated thyroid cancer at the University of Wuerzburg in Germany from 1980 to 2011.
All of the patients included in the database underwent total thyroidectomy and radioactive iodine treatment, with the exception of those who had isolated papillary microcarcinoma. General population survival data were matched to the differentiated thyroid cancer population, the researchers wrote.
The patients were followed for the first 5 years at 6-month intervals, followed by annual intervals during thyroid-stimulating hormone suppression therapy. The median follow-up was 85 months (7.1 years) after diagnosis. However, only 187 (9.2%) of patients completed a follow-up of 20 years or more. During the follow-up period, 264 patients (13.1%) died.
The researchers grouped the population into four categories according to age: younger than 30 years, 30 to 44 years, 45 to 59 years and at least 60 years. Patients aged at least 45 years at the time of diagnosis with extensive perithyroidal invasion (stages IVA and IVB), lateral cervical lymph node metastases (stage IVA) or distant metastases (stage IVC) had a reduced life expectancy, with a relative cumulative survival rate of 0.295 (95% CI, 0.033-0.556) for stage IVC disease after 20 years.
Lastly, the researchers found that patients aged older than 60 years at diagnosis had a greater reduction in life expectancy compared with those aged 45 to 59 years. However, patients with tumor, node and metastasis (TNM) stage I, II or III (86%) did not experience a decreased life expectancy, the researchers concluded.
Disclosure: Three of the study researchers report financial ties with Genzyme.
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