Thyroid Cancer in Ecuador, a 16 years population-based analysis (2001–2016)

Abstract

Background Thyroid cancer is the most frequent endocrine neoplasia worldwide. Information from Andean countries is scarce. In Ecuador there is no reports available of the epidemiology of this type of cancer. The aim of this study is to present the epidemiology and the burden of disease of thyroid cancer. Methods This is a cross-sectional population-based analysis of thyroid cancer epidemiology in Ecuador from 2001 to 2016. The variables studied were the overall mortality rate, socio-demographics characteristics of the hospitalized patients, geographical trends and the burden of thyroid cancer in Ecuador. All the data was obtained from the official records reported by the Ministry of Public Health’s and retrieved from the public databases of the Vital Statistics Deaths and Births Databases and the National Institute of Census and Statistics (INEC). Results In Ecuador, over a period of 16 years from 2001 to 2016 a total of 23,632 hospital admissions were reported, which caused 1539 deaths due thyroid cancer. Data demonstrated an annual mean of 1477 cases, which caused 96 deaths per year in average. The annual incidence fluctuated from 3 in 2001 to 22 in 2016 per 100,000 inhabitants. Women were 5 times more likely than men to have thyroid cancer. The average length of stay for both sexes were 4 days. The mortality attributable to thyroid cancer represent less than 0.3% of all cancer deaths. Conclusion Ecuador has one of the highest rates of thyroid cancer in Latin America, ranking first among women in Latin America. Although this cancer is frequent, mortality rate is relatively low. As this is the first national report of thyroid cancer in the country, a further analysis of the pathological variants and the grading of this neoplasia is needed.

Thyroid cancer in Ecuador

“…We have read with great interest the study of Salazar-Vega et al, titled “Thyroid Cancer in Ecuador, a 16 years population-based analysis (2001–2016),” which was published on April 2, 2019 in the BMC Cancer [ 4 ]. In this study, the authors declare that “In Ecuador there is no reports available of the epidemiology of this type of cancer,” and they also affirm that “… the majority of Latin-American countries such as Ecuador, Perú, Bolivia or Paraguay have not reported TC trends, incidences or any epidemiological data in the last decade” [ 4 ]. However, some previous publications have addressed several aspects of the epidemiology of TC in Ecuador [ 3 , 5 – 10 ].…”

Thyroid Cancer Overdiagnosis and Overtreatment: a cross- sectional study at a thyroid cancer referral center in Ecuador 

“…From 2008 to 2012, TC rates of incidence in these regions increased 8 to 12 times 3 . In Ecuador, the annual incidence uctuated from 3 to 22 per 100,000 in the last 16 years, with women having higher rates of incidence than men 4 .…”

“…In contrast with the rapid increase in TC incidence [5][6][7][8] , worldwide thyroid cancer mortality has remained low and stable over the last decades [9][10][11] . In Ecuador, however, thyroid cancer incidence and mortality have increased, and the Ecuadorian thyroid cancer mortality rate is one of the highest in the world 4,9,10 . The reason for the high thyroid cancer mortality in Ecuador is unknown.…”

Incidental diagnosis and surgery outcomes of thyroid cancer in Ecuador

“…From 2008 to 2012, TC incidence rates in these regions increased 8 to 12 times 3 . In Ecuador, the annual incidence fluctuated from 3 to 22 per 100,000 in the last 16 years, with women having higher incident rates than men 4 .…”

“…In contrast with the rapid increased in TC incidence [5][6][7][8] , worldwide thyroid cancer mortality rates have remained low and stable over the last decades [9][10][11] . In Ecuador, however, thyroid cancer incidence and mortality have increased, and Ecuadorian thyroid cancer mortality rates are one of the highest in the world 4,12,13 . Ecuador is a setting with limited epidemiological resources, and the drivers behind this rising incidence and mortality rates are unclear.…”