Thyroid cancer: Twenty years' experience in a general hospital

Abstract

Twenty year's experience of thyroid cancer in a district general hospital has been reviewed. Its incidence, prognosis and natural history have been studied. Particular attention has been focused on the relationship of malignant to benign goitre. The relevance of this to the treatment of 'apparently benign goitre' is discussed. Clinical evidence is presented supporting the hypothesis that differentiated thyroid carcinoma evolves from a solitary focus through a multinodular form before presenting the picture of a frankly malignant locally invasive cancer. An increase in the incidence of papillary carcinoma is confirmed.

Carcinoma of the thyroid

“…In his review Crile (1971) has commented on the almost doubled increase in papillary carcinoma occurring in a relatively younger age group. Similar increases have been noted by Beahrs et al (1951), Campbell and Sage (1975) and Heitz et al (1976). Explanations for such an increase are hard to find.…”

Thyroid cancer in Kuwait: Review of 117 cases

“…The incidence of cancer in apparently benign goitre varies between 9 and 66 per cent (Hurxthal and Heinemann, 1958;Till, 1965;Campbell and Sage, 1975). The corresponding figures for solitary nodules vary between 2.7 per cent (Campbell and Sage, 1975) and 33 per cent (Cattell and Colcock, 1953). In the present retrospective survey attempts to estimate the incidence of solitary nodules from the patients' files were difficult and inaccurate.…”

“…Criteria helping to distinguish benign from malignant nontoxic goitre have been defined (Hurxthal and Heinemann, 1958;Suakal, 1959). The incidence of cancer in apparently benign goitre varies between 9 and 66 per cent (Hurxthal and Heinemann, 1958;Till, 1965;Campbell and Sage, 1975). The corresponding figures for solitary nodules vary between 2.7 per cent (Campbell and Sage, 1975) and 33 per cent (Cattell and Colcock, 1953).…”

Prognostic factors in thyroid tumours

“…Hirabayoshi & Lindsay (1961), Halnan (1966) and Beaugie et al (1976) all failed to find an effect of sex on survival in keeping with our results. Campbell & Soye (1975) and Cody (1976) found males to have reduced survival, whereas Doll (1969), in a collective review, found a significant female advantage with papillary and follicular tumours.…”