Analysis of Thyroid Cancer Incidence and Mortality Trends Among the Residents of the Sumy Region

Abstract

Introduction. Thyroid cancer ranks ninth in the structure of malignant neoplasms. Since the 1980s, most countries in the world have seen a rapid increase in the incidence rate and a relatively stable or even decreasing mortality rate. The objective of our study was to analyze the thyroid cancer morbidity and mortality trends in the Sumy region during 2014–2021, to study the prevalence of histological variants and sex-age-specific characteristics, and to compare them with all-Ukrainian and global data. Study results. According to the National Cancer Registry of Ukraine, 24,626 people were diagnosed with thyroid cancer between 2014 and 2021, including 4,556 men (18.5%) and 2,0070 women (81.5%). On average, 3078.25 ± 136.15 people were diagnosed per year. The incidence rate among women is 3.8 times higher than among men. The average incidence rate in Ukraine in 2014–2021 was 6.5 per 100,000 population, while in the Sumy region – 8.9 per 100,000 population. The average mortality rates among residents of the Sumy region and Ukraine did not differ and amounted to 0.4 per 100,000 population. A distinctive feature was represented by the lower male and higher female mortality rates in the Sumy region compared to all-Ukrainian indicators (0.2 versus 0.3 per 100,000 population and 0.6 versus 0.4 per 100,000 population, respectively). The study of histological types of thyroid malignancies demonstrated that papillary variant was most common (70.5 to 81.9%). The specific share of follicular cancer ranged from 12.8 to 19.2%. The medullary variant occured much less often – in 1.5 to 4.6% of cases, while undifferentiated and squamous cell cancer was extremely rare (0.2 to 3.3% of cases). In Buryn district, Velyka Pysarivka district, Konotop district, Krasnopillia district, Krolevets district, Lebedyn district, Nedrygailiv district, Putyvl district, Sumy district, Trostyanets district and the city of Sumy, a significantly higher incidence rate was observed. Women aged 50–64 and men aged 55–69 are most often affected in Ukraine. The highest mortality rate is reported for the age range of 70–84 years for both males and females. Conclusions. During 2014–2021, the incidence and mortality rates among the population of Ukraine remained at a stable level and were lower compared to global indicators. Since 2017, the Sumy region has been presenting with a decrease in the incidence rate, which corresponds to European trends. In the Sumy region, papillary thyroid cancer remains the most common histological variant. In general, the shares of papillary, follicular, medullary, and anaplastic cancers are consistent with the European figures. In general, the age trends in Ukraine and other countries of the world are similar.