The impact of sociodemographic factors on thyroid cancer trends in the United States: A retrospective study using SEER database.

Abstract

e18163 Background: Thyroid cancer remains a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in the US. The American Cancer Society reports approximately 44,000 new cases and about 2,300 deaths annually. Overall, there has been a plateau in its incidence, for a cancer that was until recently the fastest growing than any other cancer in the US. In this study, we looked at the contribution of demographic and economic factors on the trend of thyroid cancer incidence using the SEER database. Methods: Using the SEER Stat software, we gathered data from seventeen (17) registries of the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database (2000-2021). Joinpoint regression software was utilized in analyzing the secular trend of age-adjusted incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States from 2000-2021 which we stratified according to age, sex and median household income. The annual percentage changes (APC) and graphic trends were determined from data obtained. Results: Thyroid cancer incidences were similar among both sexes. Trends show a steep rise between 2000-2009 with APC of 6.78 and 6.13 respectively (p<0.05), a much slower incidence from 2009-2015 and significant decline in incidence from 2015-2021. The rate of decline in females -3.22 versus males -2.30. We looked at thyroid cancer with regard to income. For patients with median household income <$40,000 yearly, APC from 2000-2005 was 12.10, 2.64 from 2005-2019 and -10.81 from 2019-2021 (p<0.05). For patients with median household income $40,000-$80,000 yearly, APC from 2000-2010 was 6.51 (p<0.05), 2.48 from 2010- 2015 (p>0.05)and -3.54 from 2015-2021(p<0.05). For patients with median household income > $80,000 yearly, APC from 2000-2011 was 6.51, and -2.19 from 2011-2021 (p<0.05). We also studied thyroid cancer based on race. Among White population, APC from 2000-2009 was 6.84, 1.96 from 2009-2015 and -3.33 from 2015-2021 (p<0.05). For African Americans, APC from 2000-2014 was 5.24, and -4.08 from 2014-2021 (p<0.05). Among American Indian/Alaska natives, APC from 2000-2015 was 5.09, and -4.07 from 2015-2021 (p<0.05). For the Asian or Pacific Islander population, APC from 2000-2012 was 4.99, and -1.44 from 2012-2021 (p<0.05). Conclusions: Race, sex and income have all influenced recent trends in thyroid cancer across the nation over the past two decades. Median household income had the greatest impact, with the highest incidence and slowest decline noted among poorer patient populations. Underlying factors need to be addressed to maintain continuous decline and prevent resurgence in thyroid cancer incidence across the country.