title: The changing landscape of papillary thyroid cancer: Epidemiology, management, and the implications for patients.
abstract: The incidence of thyroid cancer has tripled over the past 3 decades, with the vast majority of the increase noted to be among small, indolent papillary thyroid carcinomas. Substantial overdiagnosis and potential overtreatment have led to a shift in clinical practice toward less aggressive approaches and a focus on improved risk stratification. This shift in practice may be associated with recent evidence suggesting that the increase in the incidence of thyroid cancer is slowing. Because patients are often young when they are diagnosed with thyroid cancer and because there is excellent long-term, disease-specific survival, there is an ever-growing population of survivors of thyroid cancer in the United States who accumulate substantial associated health care costs as they undergo surveillance and/or remedial treatment. Survivors of thyroid cancer can experience significant detriments to their quality of life and endure financial hardship. Future research should focus on the appropriateness of treatment as well as the financial and quality-of-life effects of thyroid cancer survivorship. Cancer 2016;122:3754-3759. © 2016 American Cancer Society.
authors: Department of Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.|Institute for Technology Assessment, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors: Carrie C
authors: CC
authors: Lubitz
authors: Departments of Surgery and Medicine, Duke Cancer Institute, and Duke Clinical Research Institute, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC.
authors: Julie A
authors: JA
authors: Sosa
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D011788:Quality of Life; D015996:Survival Rate; D017741:Survivors; D000077273:Thyroid Cancer, Papillary; D013961:Thyroid Gland / Q000473:pathology; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology / Q000628:therapy*; D014481:United States
keywords: active surveillance; financial toxicity; health-related quality of life; papillary thyroid carcinoma; thyroid neoplasms