Data from six UK centres suggest outcomes are good for children with differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC).
The multicentre study analysed data on 166 patients aged 18 years or younger, diagnosed with DTC between 1964 and 2017. The cohort was predominantly female (74%) and the age ranged from 3 to 18 years at diagnosis, with a mean of 14.1 years.
Nodal metastases were present in 51 per cent, and 12 per cent had distant metastases at presentation.
After surgery, 95 per cent received radioactive iodine (39% on more than one occasion) and 4 per cent received external beam radiotherapy.
With a median follow-up duration of 5 years, 69 per cent were alive with no evidence of disease; 20 per cent were alive with a raised thyroglobulin level as the only evidence of residual disease; 6 per cent had residual structural disease detectable on imaging; 2 per cent had died from cerebral metastases.
The authors concluded that, despite the presence of nodal and metastatic disease at presentation, the UK data confirm an excellent long-term prognosis for children diagnosed with DTC.
The current annual incidence of 0.5 cases per million per year is equivalent to about 10 new paediatric cases annually in England and Wales.
