Women are more likely to get thyroid cancer?

We often hear this saying: Women are more likely to get thyroid cancer

Scientists from Dartmouth College in the United States expressed doubts about this.

Screenshot source: JAMA Internal Medicine

Data sources and research methods

The data on the incidence and mortality of thyroid cancer in American adults (≥18 years of age) come from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Program (SEER) data of the National Cancer Institute from 1975 to 2017

Subclinical state, also known as "asymptomatic disease", refers to a certain degree of changes in the body's metabolism or function, but no obvious clinical symptoms and signs

Research result

A cohort study found that the current incidence of small to medium-sized (≤2 cm) PTC in women and men is 4.

Research motivation

Finding the problem: The detection rate of thyroid cancer continues to increase, but the mortality rate has not decreased

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, thyroid ultrasound and needle biopsy were introduced and used in the United States to assess thyroid nodules.

Analyze the cause: The existing data give clinicians some one-sided hints

The incidence of thyroid cancer in women has always been higher than in men, and in recent years, with the increase in incidence in the United States and many other countries, this difference has become more obvious

Then, clinicians formed such a thinking mode-to increase the screening of women for thyroid cancer

Find a breakthrough: statistics on thyroid cancer by gender

So far, investigations into the biological causes of sex-specific differences in thyroid cancer have not been conclusive

Discussion and outlook

In the face of illness, critical thinking is important

A large number of studies and epidemiological investigations have pointed to the fact that the prevalence of PTC in women is much higher than that in men, so it naturally leads to an inference-women are more likely to get thyroid cancer, and men are not easy to get it, so it should be Intensify the screening of women for thyroid cancer

Studies have shown that women pay more attention to medical care than men, which provides more opportunities for finding thyroid nodules and diagnosing thyroid cancer

Faced with thyroid cancer, men and women must be vigilant

The analysis of this study shows that there is basically no difference between men and women in terms of thyroid cancer mortality.

Although the disease is tricky, over-treatment also needs to be vigilant

Finally, a very important point-don't over-treat

references:

LeClair K, Bell KJL, Furuya-Kanamori L, Doi SA, Francis DO, Davies L.