22
views
0
recommends
+1 Recommend
0 collections
    0
    shares
      • Record: found
      • Abstract: found
      • Article: not found

      Papillary thyroid cancer incidence in the volcanic area of Sicily.

      JNCI Journal of the National Cancer Institute
      Adenocarcinoma, Follicular, epidemiology, etiology, Adolescent, Adult, Age Distribution, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Carcinoma, Medullary, Carcinoma, Papillary, genetics, Environmental Exposure, adverse effects, Female, Humans, Incidence, Male, Middle Aged, Mutation, Proto-Oncogene Proteins B-raf, Registries, Risk Assessment, Risk Factors, Sex Distribution, Sicily, Thyroid Neoplasms, Volcanic Eruptions, Young Adult

      Read this article at

      ScienceOpenPublisherPubMed
          There is no author summary for this article yet. Authors can add summaries to their articles on ScienceOpen to make them more accessible to a non-specialist audience.

          Abstract

          The steadily increasing incidence of thyroid cancer has been attributed mostly to more sensitive thyroid nodule screening. However, various environmental factors, such as those associated with volcanic areas, cannot be excluded as risk factors. We evaluated thyroid cancer incidence in Sicily, which has a homogenous population and a province (Catania) that includes the Mt Etna volcanic area. In a register-based epidemiological survey, we collected all incident thyroid cancers in Sicily from January 1, 2002, through December 31, 2004. The age-standardized incidence rate for the world population (ASR(w)) was calculated and expressed as the number of thyroid cancer diagnoses per 100 000 residents per year. The association of thyroid cancer incidence rate with sex, age, tumor histotype, and various environmental factors was evaluated by modeling the variation of the ASR(w). All statistical tests were two-sided. In 2002-2004, 1950 incident thyroid cancers were identified in Sicily (among women, ASR(w) = 17.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 16.9 to 18.7; and among men, ASR(w) = 3.7, 95% CI = 3.3 to 4.1). Although the percentage of thyroid cancers that were microcarcinomas (ie, < or = 10 mm) and ratio of men to women with thyroid cancer were similar in all nine Sicilian provinces, thyroid cancer incidence was statistically significantly higher in the province of Catania (among women, ASR(w) = 31.7, 95% CI = 29.1 to 34.3; and among men, ASR(w) = 6.4, 95% CI = 5.2 to 7.5) than in the rest of Sicily (among women, ASR(w) = 14.1, 95% CI = 13.2 to 15.0; and among men, ASR(w) = 3.0, 95% CI = 2.6 to 3.4) (all P values < .001). Incidence of papillary, but not follicular or medullary, cancers was statistically significantly increased in Catania province, and papillary tumors from patients in Catania more frequently carried the BRAF V600E gene mutation (55 [52%] of 106 tumors) than tumors from patients elsewhere in Sicily (68 [33%] of 205 tumors) (relative risk = 1.7, 95% CI = 1.0 to 2.8, P = .02). Cancer incidence was statistically significantly lower in rural areas than in urban areas of Sicily (P = .003). No association with mild iodine deficiency or industrial installations was found. Levels of many elements (including boron, iron, manganese, and vanadium) in the drinking water of Catania province often exceeded maximum admissible concentrations, in contrast to water in the rest of Sicily. Residents of Catania province with its volcanic region appear to have a higher incidence of papillary thyroid cancer than elsewhere in Sicily.

          Related collections

          Most cited references28

          • Record: found
          • Abstract: found
          • Article: not found

          Increasing incidence of differentiated thyroid cancer in the United States, 1988-2005.

          Studies have reported an increasing incidence of thyroid cancer since 1980. One possible explanation for this trend is increased detection through more widespread and aggressive use of ultrasound and image-guided biopsy. Increases resulting from increased detection are most likely to involve small primary tumors rather than larger tumors, which often present as palpable thyroid masses. The objective of the current study was to investigate the trends in increasing incidence of differentiated (papillary and follicular) thyroid cancer by size, age, race, and sex. Cases of differentiated thyroid cancer (1988-2005) were analyzed using the National Cancer Institute's Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) dataset. Trends in incidence rates of papillary and follicular cancer, race, age, sex, primary tumor size ( 4 cm), and SEER stage (localized, regional, distant) were analyzed using joinpoint regression and reported as the annual percentage change (APC). Incidence rates increased for all sizes of tumors. Among men and women of all ages, the highest rate of increase was for primary tumors or =4 cm among men (1988-2005: APC, 3.7) and women (1988-2005: APC, 5.70) and for distant SEER stage disease among men (APC, 3.7) and women (APC, 2.3). The incidence rates of differentiated thyroid cancers of all sizes increased between 1988 and 2005 in both men and women. The increased incidence across all tumor sizes suggested that increased diagnostic scrutiny is not the sole explanation. Other explanations, including environmental influences and molecular pathways, should be investigated.
            Bookmark
            • Record: found
            • Abstract: found
            • Article: not found

            BRAF(V600E) mutation and the biology of papillary thyroid cancer.

            BRAF((V600E)) mutation is the most frequent genetic alteration in papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTCs) that are 80-90% of all thyroid cancers. We evaluated the relationship between BRAF((V600E)) and tumor, host, and environmental factors in PTCs from all geographical areas of Sicily. By PCR, BRAF((V600E)) was investigated in a series of 323 PTCs diagnosed in 2002-2005. The correlation between clinicopathological tumor, host, and environmental characteristics and the presence of BRAF((V600E)) were evaluated by both univariate and multivariate analyses. BRAF((V600E)) was found in 38.6% PTCs, with a 52% frequency in the classical PTCs and 26.4% in the tall cell variant. Univariate analysis indicated that BRAF((V600E)) was associated with greater tumor size (P=0.0048), extra-thyroid invasion (P<0.0001), and cervical lymph nodal metastases (P=0.0001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis confirmed that BRAF((V600E)) was an independent predictor of extra-thyroid invasion (P=0.0001) and cervical lymph nodal metastasis (P=0.0005). The association between BRAF((V600E)) and extra-thyroid invasion was also found in micro-PTCs (P=0.006). In 60 classical PTCs, BRAF((V600E)) was positively correlated with matrix metalloproteinase-9 expression (P=0.0047), suggesting a possible mechanism for BRAF((V600E)) effect on PTC invasiveness. No association was found between BRAF((V600E)) and patient age, gender, or iodine intake. In contrast, a strong association was found with residency in Eastern Sicily (P<0.0001 compared with Western Sicily). These results indicate that BRAF((V600E)) mutation is a marker of aggressive disease in both micro- and macro-PTCs. Moreover, for the first time, a possible link between BRAF((V600E)) mutation and environmental carcinogens is suggested.
              Bookmark
              • Record: found
              • Abstract: found
              • Article: not found

              Cancer risk in patients with cold thyroid nodules: relevance of iodine intake, sex, age, and multinodularity.

              We evaluated the frequency of thyroid cancer in patients with cold thyroid nodules in relation to iodine intake, sex, age, and multinodularity in a consecutive series of patients with nodular thyroid diseases. In the period from 1980 to 1990, 5,637 patients were studied: 4,176 patients were from an iodine-sufficient area (ISA) and 1,461 from an adjacent iodine-deficient area (IDA). Surgery was performed in 792 patients on the basis of a suspicious or malignant finding at fine-needle aspiration biopsy. The overall thyroid cancer frequency was 4.6% (259 patients had cancer). Iodine intake affected the cancer rate in patients with cold nodules. The frequency of cancer in patients with cold thyroid nodules was 5.3% in the ISA and 2.7% in the IDA. This difference, however, was significant only in females. Sex had a major influence on the malignant rate of cold nodules; although female patients were more frequently observed (n = 5,028) than male patients (n = 609), the frequency of cancer was significantly lower in female patients with cold nodules (4.2%) than in males (8.2%). Age was an important factor in both sexes. The proportion of nodules that were malignant was smallest in patients of the 4th decade and was greatest in patients younger than 30 years or older than 60 years. Multivariate analysis showed that sex and age interact in determining the cancer risk in patients with thyroid nodules. Finally, the frequency of thyroid cancer in patients with a solitary nodule was not different from the frequency in patients with multiple nodules. Our study indicates that thyroid cancer risk in a patient with a nodular goiter varies markedly according to iodine intake, sex, and age but not in relation to multinodularity, as assessed by clinical examination. The knowledge of these epidemiologic aspects of thyroid cancer may increase the accuracy of the preoperative selection of patients with cold nodules of the thyroid.
                Bookmark

                Author and article information

                Comments

                Comment on this article