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Purpose: We aimed to compare Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic White patients in treatment for papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) in the equal access Military Health System to better understand racial-ethnic cancer health disparities observed in the United States., Methods: We used the MilCanEpi database to identify a cohort of men and women aged 18 or older who were diagnosed with PTC between 1998 and 2014. Low- or high-risk status was assigned using tumor size and lymph node involvement. Treatment with surgery (e.g., thyroidectomy) overall and treatment by risk status [active surveillance (low-risk) or adjuvant radioactive iodine (RAI) (high-risk)] was compared between racial-ethnic groups using multivariable logistic regression and expressed as adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs)., Results: The study included 598 Asian, 553 Black, 340 Hispanic, and 2958 non-Hispanic White patients with PTC. Asian (AOR = 1.21, 95% CI 0.98, 1.49), Black (AOR = 1.07, 95% CI 0.87, 1.32), and Hispanic (AOR = 0.92, 95% CI 0.71, 1.19) patients were as likely as White patients to receive surgery. By risk status, there were no significant racial-ethnic differences in receipt of active surveillance or thyroidectomy for low-risk PTC or in thyroidectomy or total thyroidectomy with adjuvant RAI for high-risk PTC., Conclusions: In the Military Health System, where patients have equal access to care, there were no overall racial-ethnic differences in surgical treatment for PTC. As American Thyroid Association guidelines evolve to include more conservative treatment, further research is warranted to understand potential disparities in active surveillance and surgical management in U.S. healthcare settings., (© 2024. Society of Surgical Oncology.)

Background: Few studies have examined the disparities in access to care for pediatric thyroid cancers. We sought to clarify socioeconomic and patient factors that affect access to care for pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer and aggressive variants of papillary thyroid cancer., Methods: Using the National Cancer Database, we performed a retrospective study on pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer and aggressive variants of papillary thyroid cancer (2004-2019). Patients were divided into three periods (2004-2008, 2009-2013, 2014-2019) to assess for trends. The χ 2 analysis and Kruskal-Wallis test were used to test for independence of groupings for each socioeconomic and disease-related factor., Results: In all, 6,275 patients with pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer and 182 with aggressive variants of papillary thyroid cancer were analyzed. Differentiated thyroid cancer patients with Medicaid (median 18.0 miles) and those from lower-income households (median 21-30 miles) had to travel greater distances for care in recent years (2014-2019). Racial/ethnic disparities were evident; Black and Hispanic patients have higher odds of waiting >30 days for surgery (odds ratio 1.39, 1.49, P < .05, respectively) than White patients. Black patients with differentiated thyroid cancer had a higher risk of mortality compared with White and Hispanic patients (hazard ratio 4.31, 95% confidence interval: 1.95-9.51, P < .05). Nodal positivity was higher in Hispanic patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (60%, P < .05, White patients 51% and Black patients 36%). Socioeconomic factors did not significantly affect survival or nodal positivity in aggressive variants of papillary thyroid cancer., Conclusion: This study highlights disparities in access to care and survival outcomes in pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer and aggressive variants of papillary thyroid cancer. Race, income status, and type of insurance all play a role in these disparities. Understanding the complex etiologies and developing interventions to improve access and patient outcomes are crucial., (Copyright © 2023 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: While the impact of insurance has been described for thyroid cancer as a whole, we sought to further characterize this relationship for the papillary sub-group (PTC)., Methods: Those patients with primary site thyroid tumors from 2007 to 2016 with histology-confirmed PTC were extracted from the SEER database. These parameters yielded 103 219 participants for demographic, extent of disease, and treatment parameter study and 103 025 for outcome studies., Results: Compared to their counterparts, those with Medicaid were more likely to have stage T3 or greater (<.0001) disease at presentation. Those with Medicare/private insurance were more likely to have No staging at diagnosis ( P  < .0001). Similarly, those with Medicaid exhibited poorer overall (98.0%, 90.9%, 81.6% vs 98.9%, 95.0%, 90.0%; P  < .0001) and cause-specific (99.3%, 98.0%, 95.8% vs 99.7%, 99.1%, 98.4%; P  < .0001) survival after 1, 5, and 9 years respectively., Conclusion: Insurer has a significant impact on the stage at diagnosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma while having limited effect on the treatment modalities offered. Statistically significant overall and cause-specific mortality differences were appreciated but are likely clinical insignificant. Further work to elucidate the social factors likely affecting these patients is warranted.

Background: An ongoing debate exists over the optimal management of low-risk papillary thyroid cancer. The American Thyroid Association supports the concept of active surveillance to manage low-risk papillary thyroid cancer; however, the cost-effectiveness of active surveillance has not yet been established. We sought to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing active surveillance versus surgical intervention for patients in the United States., Methods: A Markov decision tree model was developed to compare active surveillance and thyroid lobectomy. Our reference case is a 40-year-old female who was diagnosed with unifocal (<15 mm), low-risk papillary thyroid cancer. Probabilistic outcomes, costs, and health utilities were determined using an extensive literature review. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at $50,000/quality-adjusted life year gained. Sensitivity analyses were performed to account for uncertainty in the model's variables., Results: Lobectomy provided a final effectiveness of 21.7/quality-adjusted life years, compared with 17.3/quality-adjusted life years for active surveillance. Furthermore, incremental cost effectiveness ratio for lobectomy versus active surveillance was $19,560/quality-adjusted life year (

Background: The 2015 American Thyroid Association endorsed less aggressive management for low-risk papillary thyroid cancer (LR-PTC). We aimed to identify factors influencing physicians' recommendations for LR-PTC., Methods: We surveyed members of three professional societies and assessed respondents' recommendations for managing LR-PTC using patient scenarios. Multivariable logistic regression models identified clinical and non-clinical factors associated with recommending total thyroidectomy (TT) and active surveillance (AS)., Results: The 345 respondents included 246 surgeons and 99 endocrinologists. Physicians' preference for their own management if diagnosed with LR-PTC had the strongest association with their recommendation for TT and AS (TT: OR 12.3; AS: OR 7.5, p < 0.001). Physician specialty and stated patient preference were also significantly associated with their recommendations for both management options. Respondents who received information about AS had increased odds of recommending AS., Conclusions: Physicians' recommendations for LR-PTC are strongly influenced by non-clinical factors, such as personal treatment preference and specialty., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest No competing financial interests exist., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Health insurance has been shown to be a key determinant in cancer care, but it is unknown as to what extent insurance status affects treatments provided to papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients. We hypothesized that insured patients with PTC would have lower-risk tumors at diagnosis and be more likely to receive adjuvant therapies at follow-up. Methods: The American College of Surgeons' National Cancer Database was queried to identify all patients diagnosed with PTCs >2 mm in size from 2004 to 2015. Patients were grouped according to insurance status, and frequency of high-risk features and microcarcinoma at diagnosis were assessed. Multivariable analyses were used to identify independent predictors of more extensive treatment: total thyroidectomy (vs. lobectomy), lymphadenectomy, and radioactive iodine (RAI). Results: There were 190,298 patients who met inclusion criteria; the majority of patients had private insurance (139,675 [73.4%]) and were female (144,824 [76.1%]). Uninsured patients, as compared with privately insured patients, had higher rates of extrathyroidal extension of their cancers (25.2% vs. 18.9%, p  < 0.001), lymphovascular invasion (16.2% vs. 12.0%, p  < 0.001), and positive margins on final pathology (16.0% vs. 12.2%, p  < 0.001). Conversely, patients with private insurance were 51% more likely to have microcarcinomas at diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.51 [confidence interval {CI} 1.35-1.68], p  < 0.001) than uninsured patients, controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and hospital factors. Private insurance was an independent predictor for treatment with total thyroidectomy (OR = 1.18 [CI 1.01-1.37], p  < 0.05), formal lymphadenectomy (OR = 1.22 [CI 1.09-1.36], p  < 0.001), and adjuvant RAI therapy (OR = 1.35 [CI 1.18-1.54], p  < 0.001) as compared with no insurance, adjusted for socioeconomic, demographic, hospital, and oncologic differences. Patients with Medicare or Medicaid were no more likely to receive these treatments than uninsured patients. Conclusions: Privately insured patients have less aggressive PTCs at diagnosis, and they are more likely to be treated with total thyroidectomy, lymphadenectomy, and RAI compared with uninsured patients. Clinicians should take caution to ensure proper referral and follow-up for under- and uninsured patients to reduce disparities in treatment.

Background: Papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) is the fastest increasing cancer in the United States; incidence increases with age. It generally has a favorable prognosis but may behave more aggressively in older patients. This study aims to describe national treatment patterns for low-risk PTC in older adults., Materials and Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare database was used to identify patients ≥66 y treated for clinical T1N0M0 PTC between 1996 and 2011. Multivariable logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with extent of surgery (total thyroidectomy versus lobectomy) and radioactive iodine (RAI) administration. Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to estimate the effect of treatment type on disease-specific survival (DSS)., Results: Three thousand two hundred and fourteen patients met inclusion criteria; 77.6% were women, median age was 72 y, and mean tumor size was 0.7 cm. 42.7% had preoperatively diagnosed PTC (versus incidental). 65.4% underwent total thyroidectomy, 29.0% lobectomy, and 5.6% lobectomy followed by completion thyroidectomy; 33.4% received postoperative RAI. Five- and 10-year DSS were 98.9% and 98.3%, respectively. After adjustment, larger tumor size (1.1-2 cm), multifocality, and a preoperative PTC diagnosis were associated with greater odds of undergoing more extensive surgery and receiving RAI (P < 0.0001). DSS was not associated with extent of surgery or RAI administration (P > 0.05)., Conclusions: Most older adults with PTC underwent total thyroidectomy and a third received RAI; neither treatment improved DSS. In the growing elderly population, less extensive interventions for PTC may reduce morbidity and improve quality of life while preserving an excellent prognosis., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: We aimed to determine the effect of adjuvant radioactive iodine dose on recurrence rate in high-risk papillary thyroid cancer., Methods: More than 1,500 patients treated for papillary thyroid cancer at high-volume centers in France and the United States from 2004-2014 were reviewed. Patients considered at high risk for recurrence per the 2015 American Thyroid Association guidelines were analyzed and grouped by initial radioactive iodine dose: intermediate (median 100 mCi) or high dose (median 150 mCi). Propensity score matching was performed to control for baseline characteristics., Results: In a propensity-matched cohort of 66 patient pairs, there were equivalent rates of gross extrathyroidal extension (71% vs 71%, P = 1.00), positive margins (55% vs 55%, P = 1.00), lymph node metastases ≥ 3 cm (9% vs 9%, P = 1.00), extranodal extension (32% vs 33%, P = .85), and distant metastases (2% vs 5%, P = .31). Over a median follow-up of 4.5 years (interquartile ratio 2.0-7.5 years), the intermediate-dose radioactive iodine group had a significantly higher rate of recurrence than patients in the high-dose radioactive iodine group: 24 out of 66 (36%) vs 13 out of 66 (20%), P = .03., Conclusion: High-dose radioactive iodine is associated with lower recurrence rate compared with intermediate-dose radioactive iodine for patients with American Thyroid Association high-risk papillary thyroid cancer., (Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Inc.)