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Thyroid cancer: is ethnicity relevant?

OBJECTIVE
This study aimed to determine the age at which various ethnic groups present with thyroid cancer.


METHOD
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.


RESULT
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).


CONCLUSION
In this population, Asian women presented with thyroid cancer at a significantly younger mean age than Caucasian women.