title: New trends in the clinicopathological features of differentiated thyroid cancer in Central Jordan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the current trends in presentation and distribution of differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) at the largest referral hospital for endocrine cancers in Central Jordan.
  
  
  METHODS
  We analyzed the clinical features, management and outcome of 110 patients diagnosed with thyroid carcinoma at Jordan University Hospital, Amman, between 1996 and 2001.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Papillary carcinoma was diagnosed in 87 patients (80%), follicular carcinoma in 3 patients (2.7%), Hurthle cell carcinoma in 8 patients (7.3%), medullary carcinoma in 5 (4.5%), and anaplastic carcinoma in 4 patients (3.6%), metastatic cancer in 2 patients and lymphoma in one patient. Time course analysis showed an increasing trend in surgery for thyroid cancer from 28 cases in 1986-1991 to 48 in 1996-2001. As time advanced, the incidence of locally invasive disease and lymph node involvement markedly increased over the last 5 years of the study (from 28-62%). All patients with follicular carcinoma were diagnosed in the period 1986-1994. After thyroidectomy and a follow up period of 2-15 years, 10 patients died of their disease, 4 of these died within one year from anaplastic thyroid carcinoma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The dramatic decline in the incidence of follicular thyroid carcinoma combined with the increase in the advanced forms of thyroid cancer in Central Jordan may suggest a possible environmental factor in thyroid carcinogenesis in this region. We suggest a larger scale studies and steps to investigate the etiologic factors for thyroid carcinogenesis in Central Jordan.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jordan, Amman.
authors.forename: Maha S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Shomaf
authors.forename: Nidal A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Younes
authors.forename: Nader M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Albsoul
authors.forename: Ayman A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Musmar
authors.forename: Mohammed M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Al-Zaheri
authors.forename: Musleh S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Tarawneh
authors.forename: Ahmad S
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Sroujieh
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002277:Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D018276:Carcinoma, Medullary / Q000453:epidemiology; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007597:Jordan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy