Research Information System
Batı Karadeniz Tıp Dergisi, vol.6, no.3, pp.274-282, 2022 (TRDizin)
Aim: The incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) has been increasing rapidly in recent years. Patient age at diagnosis is a good prognostic factor for thyroid cancer. DTC is the only malignancy that includes age as part of its staging system. The current 8th edition American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging system uses age 55 as a cut-off point for risk stratification. In this study, we aimed to compare the clinicopathological features of DTC in patients <55 and ≥55 years old in our series. Material and Methods: In total, 920 patients with DTC were retrospectively reviewed. Thyroid functions, ultrasonographic features of malignant nodules, cytological and histopathological findings, and recurrence and persistence rates were compared in patients <55 and ≥ 55 years old. Results: There were 605 (65.76%) patients <55 years old and 315 (34.24%) patients ≥55 years old. Of all cancer types, 95.79% in <55 years old patients and 94.46% in ≥55 years old were papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) (p = 0.269). The mean tumor diameter was 10.53±10.72 mm in patients <55 years old and 12.65±12.72 mm in patients >55 years old (p=0.009). Extrathyroidal extension (ETE) was detected in 8.42% of <55 years old patients and 12.79% of patients ≥55 years old (p=0.011). Capsular invasion was detected in 19.11% of <55 years old patients and 23.24% of patients ≥55 years old (p=0.032). The rate of chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis in the <55 years old patients was higher than in the ≥55 years old patients (p<0.001). Lymphatic invasion, vascular invasion, lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis, persistence, and recurrence rates were similar. Conclusion: DTC in patients ≥55 years old is associated with larger tumors, higher risk of ETE, and higher risk of capsular invasion compared to patients <55 years old.