title: Racial disparities in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma survival.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the impact of race on survival in patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study cohort included 17 668 patients diagnosed with papillary thyroid microcarcinoma between 1988 and 2009, identified in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results 18 database of the National Cancer Institute.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Black patients had lower overall survival than other racial groups (p < 0.001). Black patients had significantly worse overall survival (hazard ratio = 2.59) after adjusting for sex, marital status, age, year of diagnosis, multifocal disease and type of surgery. A subset analysis of Black patients revealed no significant difference in overall survival for total thyroidectomy versus lobectomy (p = 0.15).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Black race is a negative prognostic factor in thyroid cancer, which cannot be explained by advanced disease stage. Further research on mechanisms by which race affects survival is needed to reveal areas of opportunity for interventions aimed at reducing health disparities in cancer care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery,Stanford University School of Medicine,California,USA.
authors.forename: U C
authors.initials: UC
authors.lastname: Megwalu
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery,Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai,New York,USA.
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Saini
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002291:Carcinoma, Papillary / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D005260:Female; D054624:Health Status Disparities; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018426:SEER Program / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D016019:Survival Analysis; D013964:Thyroid Neoplasms / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000401:mortality / Q000601:surgery; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Health Status Disparities; Minority Health; SEER Program; Thyroid Neoplasms