Childhood Radiation-Induced Thyroid Cancer Does Not Lower All-Cause Survival

Childhood radiation-induced thyroid cancer does not increase all-cause mortality compared with healthy subjects, according to results from a case-control study presented at the 88th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association in Washington, D.C.¹

The most common cancer arising from childhood irradiation is differentiated thyroid cancer, but it is unknown whether radiation-induced thyroid cancer affects survival. The aim of this study was to determine if radiation-induced thyroid cancer decreases overall survival.

This nested case-control study included 1008 patients with radiation-induced thyroid cancer or healthy controls from a cohort of patients who underwent irradiation for enlarged tonsils during childhood between 1939 and 1962. The cohort was followed prospectively since 1974.

There was no difference in all-cause mortality among patients who developed radiation-induced thyroid cancer (26.6%) compared with controls (24.2%; hazard ratio [HR], 1.39; 95% CI, 0.77-1.33). The difference remained nonsignificant after adjusting for microcarcinomas that were less than 10 mm.

There was a difference in the distribution of the cause of death among patients with radiation-induced thyroid cancer compared with controls (P < .05).

The authors concluded that among patients who received radiation during childhood, “development of thyroid cancer did not affect overall survival, although it did affect the distribution of the causes of death.”

Read more of Cancer Therapy Advisor‘s coverage of the ATA 2018 meeting by visiting the conference page.

Reference

1. Mihailescu D, Vydro L, Schneider A, et al. Radiation-induced thyroid cancer does not affect all-cause survival. Presented at: the 88th Annual Meeting of the American Thyroid Association; Washington, D.C.: October 3-7, 2018. Abstract short call 7.