Demographic profile of thyroid malignancies in a tertiary care centre in South India

Abstract

: Thyroid carcinomas were significantly on the rise all over the world, with 5.86 lakh new cases and 43,664 deaths reported in 2020. In this study, we focused on a detailed analysis pertaining to the incidence and demographic profile of all histological types of thyroid malignancies. : All cases of thyroid carcinomas reported in the department of Pathology at a tertiary care center in South India from January 2016-December 2020 were included in this study. The demographic profile and patient details were obtained from the medical records section. Pathology reports of the included cases were retrieved, and associated factors were analysed. : Out of the 98 cases included in the study, 16 cases (16.3%) were below 30 years of age, 44 cases (44.9%) were 30-50 years of age and 38 cases (38.8%) were above 50 years of age. The mean age was 45.78. Female preponderance was noted, with 66 cases (67.3%) being females and 32 cases (32.65%) were males. The histopathology results revealed 90 cases (91.8%) to be papillary carcinoma, 1 case (1.02%) of medullary carcinoma, 1 case (1.02%) of Insular carcinoma, 5 cases (5.102%) of follicular carcinoma and 1 case (1.02%) of anaplastic carcinoma. Most of the cases were classified as T1 tumours (45.91%) under the TNM classification. 24 cases (24.49%) were graded as N1 (Metastasis to regional nodes). 3 cases (3.06%) exhibited distant metastasis. Majority of the cases (71.42%) were samples from a total thyroidectomy procedure. : In our demographic study, we have noted that thyroid carcinomas have a peak incidence in the fourth decade of life with a female preponderance. Majority of the cases were noted to be papillary carcinomas in histological type. Understanding the histopathology and TNM staging of thyroid carcinomas is crucial for the selection of appropriate treatment modalities, predicting patient prognosis and clinical outcomes.