Survey on Paediatric Differentiated Thyroid Cancer Care in Europe

Abstract

Background/Aims: Thyroid cancer among children is a very rare disease. Although survival is favourable, morbidity caused by the treatment remains considerable, so there is a great need to optimize management by international cooperation. For this reason, the 2016 European Thyroid Association-Cancer Research Network (ETA-CRN) meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark, paid considerable attention to this topic and aimed to give an overview of the care for this paediatric patient group in different European countries. Methods: An inventory of data on thyroid cancer treatment among children in Europe was generated by questionnaires focused on treatment and organization of care. Results: The treatment of paediatric thyroid cancer appears to be scattered in each European country with limited centralization of care, and different European countries use different treatment and follow-up protocols. Conclusion: Collaboration in a European network to optimize treatment and minimize long-term consequences for paediatric thyroid cancer survivors is necessary. During this meeting, the ETA-CRN has endorsed the initiative to collaborate on this rare endocrine cancer within a European network.