Abstract
The Rosalind Franklin Society (RFS), in partnership with Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, enthusiastically congratulate our distinguished recipient of the 2022 annual
Elisa Pasqual, Julie Ann Sosa, Yingxi Chen, Sara J. Schonfeld, Amy Berrington de González, and Cari M. Kitahara, “Trends in the Management of Localized Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in the United States (2000–2018),” Thyroid 32, no. 4 (April 2022): 397–410,
Abstract
American Thyroid Association guidelines recommend less extensive surgery and more restricted use of radioactive iodine (RAI) for low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and active surveillance for select microcarcinomas. The impact of these recommendations remains unclear. Using SEER-18 cancer registry data, we described time trends in first-course treatment for 105,483 patients diagnosed with first primary, localized PTC. RAI use declined for PTCs <4 cm, including microcarcinomas. Total thyroidectomy alone increased, while lobectomy declined and then rose. Nonsurgical management was used for <1% of microcarcinomas annually. For pediatric patients (<20 years), RAI use peaked in 2009 then decreased to 11%, while total thyroidectomy alone and, to a lesser extent, lobectomy increased. No changes were observed for ≥4-cm PTCs. Trends in lobectomy and nonsurgical management were more subtle than expected; this may change as evidence regarding their safety continues to emerge.
Biosketch
Dr. Cari Kitahara, PhD, MHS, is a senior investigator in the Division of Cancer Epidemiology and Genetics at the National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health. Her research focuses on thyroid cancer etiology and survivorship and on cancer risks after exposure to ionizing radiation. She is principal investigator of several studies, including a large cohort of U.S. radiologic technologists and another large cohort of individuals treated for hyperthyroidism in the 1940s–1960s. She has over 170 peer-reviewed publications and is the recipient of the National Cancer Institute's Individual Award of Merit and Intramural Innovation Award and the 2019 American Thyroid Association Van Meter Award. She serves on the editorial board of the journal Thyroid.