Effects of Diagnostic Utilities on the Thyroid Cancer Incidence

Abstract

Abstract The diagnostic methods both thyroid ultrasound and fine needle aspiration (FNA) can affect thyroid cancer incidence. This study aims to explore the effect of thyroid ultrasound, and FNA uses on low thyroid cancer incidence countries without ultrasound screening for cancer by using data from the Songkhla Cancer Registry during 1990–2019. We performed the age-period-cohort (APC) analysis to determine the period and cohort effect on incidence. For the effect of diagnostic utilities of thyroid ultrasounds and FNA on the incidence, a generalized additive model (GAM) was used. Among 1,785 thyroid cancer patients, PTC was the most common. In women, the age-standardized incidence rates (ASR) of PTC rose from 2.97 in 1990 to 6.10 per 100,000 women-years in 2019. There is no increment in the ASR of PTC in men and other thyroid cancers in both sexes. The APC analysis indicated period and cohort effects on the ASR of PTC in women. GAM showed thyroid ultrasound and FNA affected the incidence. The maximum ability for diagnosis of both diagnostic methods was reached. Thyroid ultrasound should be used as a diagnostic method in patients presenting with thyroid nodule(s). Ultrasound screening for thyroid cancer in general population is not recommended.