Thyroid cancer in pregnancy.
OBJECTIVE
To compare stage at diagnosis, treatment and survival among pregnant women with thyroid cancer to non-pregnant women with thyroid cancer, and to assess the impact of treatment on maternal and perinatal outcomes.


METHODS
A database containing maternal and newborn discharge records linked to the California Cancer Registry was queried to obtain information on all thyroid cancers from 1991-1999. Women with thyroid cancer occurring during pregnancy were compared to age-matched non-pregnant women with thyroid cancer.


RESULTS
595 cases of thyroid cancers were identified (129 antepartum and 466 postpartum). About 64% of thyroid cancers were diagnosed at stage 2 among pregnant women versus 58% among non-pregnant controls. The odds of thyroid cancer were 1.5 times higher among Asian/Pacific Islanders than among Non-Hispanic White women. Pregnancy had no significant effect on mortality after diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Thyroidectomy during pregnancy was not associated with adverse maternal or neonatal outcomes.


CONCLUSIONS
Thyroid cancer discovered during or after pregnancy does not appear to have a significant impact on the prognosis of the disease.
Yasmeen
S
S
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of California Davis, USA. syasmeen@ucdavis.edu
Cress
R
R
Romano
P S
PS
Xing
G
G
Berger-Chen
S
S
Danielsen
B
B
Smith
L H
LH
D018263:Adenocarcinoma, Follicular / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D000231:Adenocarcinoma, Papillary / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011252:Pregnancy Complications, Neoplastic / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011379:Prognosis; D011644:Puerperal Disorders / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D016019:Survival Analysis