Thyroid carcinoma: Clinical practice guidelines

In 2005, approximately 1,490 cancer deaths will occur among persons living with thyroid carcinoma in the United States. Interestingly, although thyroid carcinoma occurs more often in women, mortality rates are higher for men, probably because men are usually older at the time of diagnosis. The incidence of thyroid carcinoma increased almost 240% between 1950 and 2000, but mortality rates decreased more than 44%. Although the causes of these statistically significant changes are uncertain, the increasing incidence may be caused by the increase in radiation-induced thyroid carcinoma. Conversely, the decrease in mortality may be related to earlier diagnosis, when the disease is presumably more amenable to intervention. However, this conclusion is confounded by a possible lead time bias.