title: Thyroid cancer: is ethnicity relevant?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study aimed to determine the age at which various ethnic groups present with thyroid cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective, observational study based at three district general hospitals in the West Midlands, serving a widely diverse ethnic population. We assessed all patients undergoing an operative or core biopsy procedure for a thyroid nodule from 1 January 1998 to 31 December 2009. Only patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer were included. Variables examined included the patient's ethnic origin, sex and age at presentation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We identified 263 patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Papillary carcinoma predominated. Ethnicity was categorised as Caucasian, Asian, black or other. Thyroid cancer was predominantly seen in women, in all ethnic groups. The mean age of thyroid cancer presentation was 50 years in Asians and 56 years in Caucasians, for both sexes combined. The mean presentation age of Asian women was significantly younger (46 years) than that of Caucasian women (56 years) (p = 0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this population, Asian women presented with thyroid cancer at a significantly younger mean age than Caucasian women.
authors: ENT Department, Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK. tiragalm@yahoo.com
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Galm
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Minhas
authors: R J
authors: RJ
authors: Cullen
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Griffiths
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D044466:Asian People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D001706:Biopsy; D044383:Black People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000208:ethnology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006753:Hospital Records; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology*; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000208:ethnology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult