Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology logoLink to Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology
. 1990 Nov;116(6):639–647. doi: 10.1007/BF01637087

Descriptive epidemiology of thyroid cancer in the Swiss Canton of Vaud

Fabio Levi 1,2,✉, Silvia Franceschi 1,2,3, Van-Cong Te 1,2, Eva Negri 2,4, Carlo La Vecchia 2,4,5
PMCID: PMC12201190  PMID: 2254383

Abstract

Although substantial decreases have been recorded, age-standardized mortality rates from thyroid cancer in Switzerland are still the highest in Europe in men (0.9/100000), together with those from Austria, and the third highest (1.0/100 000) in women. Detailed analysis of 308 new cases registered between 1974 and 1987 in the Swiss Canton of Vaud revealed an overall incidence rate of 1.36/100000 men (world standard) in 1974–1980 and of 1.74/100 000 in 1981–1987. Corresponding values for women were 4.28 and 4.51, respectively. Thus, women constituted the majority of all cases (76%). Papillary carcinoma was the most frequent histological type (53%) followed by follicular (27%), undifferentiated (5%) and medullary (2%); other morphologies and clinical tumours accounted for 13% of the whole series. In both sexes, most of the apparent increase over the calendar period was restricted to the papillary type. Overall 5- and 10-year survival rates were 71% and 57%. When various factors were introduced in a Cox proportional-hazard model, young age at diagnosis (hazard rate for ≧65 years vs <45=14.7; 95% confidence interval=7.5–29.1) and good histological differentiation (hazard rate for papillary and follicular vs undifferentiated=0.4) emerged as strong favourable and independent prognostic factors. The reduced hazard rate for women, other factors being equal, was of borderline significance (0.7, 95% confidence interval=0.5–1.0), whereas no significant difference was observed between follicular and papillary carcinomas, and calendar periods of diagnosis.

Key words: Thyroid cancer, Incidence, Mortality, Survival

References

  1. Apter D, Vinko R (1983) Early menarche, a risk factor for breast cancer, indicates early onset of ovulatory cycles. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 57:82–86 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  2. Ashcraft MW, Van Herle AJ (1981a) Management of thyroid nodules: I. History and physical examination, blood test, x ray test, and ultrasonography. Head Neck Surg 3:216–227 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  3. Ashcraft MW, Van Herle AJ (1981b) Management of thyroid nodules: II. Scanning techniques, thyroid suppressive therapy, and fine needle aspiration. Head Neck Surg 3:297–322 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  4. Belfiore A, La Rosa GL, Padova G, et al. (1987) The frequency of cold thyroid nodules and thyroid malignancies in patients from an iodine-deficient area. Cancer 60:3096–3102 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  5. Bubenhofer R, Hedinger C (1977) Schilddrüsemalignome vor und nach Einführung der Jodsalzprophylaxe. Schweiz Med Wochenschr 107:733–741 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  6. Burt A, Goudie RB (1979) Diagnosis of primary thyroid carcinoma by immunohistological demonstration of thyroglobulin. Histopathology 3:279–286 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  7. Cady B, Sedgwick CE, Meissner WA, et al. (1979) Risk factor analysis in differentiated thyroid cancer. Cancer 43:810–820 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  8. Cancer Registry of Norway (1975) Survival of cancer patients. The Norwegian Cancer Society, Oslo, pp 154–157
  9. Christensen SB, Ljungberg AO (1984) Mortality from thyroid carcinoma in Malmö, Sweden 1960–1977. Cancer 54:1629–1634 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  10. Christensen SB, Ljungberg O, Tibblin S (1984) Thyroid carcinoma in Malmö, 1960–1977. Epidemiologic, clinical and prognostic findings in a defined urban population. Cancer 53:1625–1633 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  11. Cox DR (1972) Regression models for life tables. J R Stat Soc 34:187–220 [Google Scholar]
  12. Cuello C, Correa P, Eisenberg H (1969) Geographic pathology of thyroid carcinoma. Cancer 23:230–239 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  13. Doll R, Waterhouse J (1966) Cancer incidence in five continents. Berlin, Springer-Verlag, UICC Technical Report: vol 1. UIDD, Geneva [Google Scholar]
  14. Doll R, Muir CS, Waterhouse JAH (1970) Cancer incidence in five continents. UICC Technical Report: vol 2. UICC, Geneva [Google Scholar]
  15. Franceschi S, Fassina A, Talamini R, et al. (1989) Risk factors for thyroid cancer in Northern Italy. Int J Epidemiol 18:578–584 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  16. Franceschi S, Fassina A, Talamini R, et al. (1990b) The influence of reproductive and hormonal factors on thyroid cancer in women. Rev Epidemiol Santé Publique 38:27–34 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  17. Franssila K, Saxén E, Teppo L, et al. (1981) Incidence of different morphological types of thyroid cancer in the nordic countries. Acta Pathol Microbiol Scand 89:49–55 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  18. Hannequin P, Liehn JC, Delisle MJ (1986) Multifactorial analysis of survival in thyroid cancer. Cancer 58:1749–1755 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  19. Hedinger C, Sobin LH (1974) Histological typing of thyroid tumours. International histological classification of tumours: no. 11. WHO, Geneva [Google Scholar]
  20. Hedinger C, Williams ED, Sobin LH (1989) The WHO histological classification of thyroid tumors: a commentary on the second edition. Cancer 63:908–911 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  21. Heitz P, Moser H, Staub JJ (1976) Thyroid cancer. Cancer 37:2329–2337 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  22. Hrafnkelsson J, Jonasson JG, Sigurdsson G, et al. (1988) Thyroid cancer in Iceland 1955–1984. Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 118:566–572 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  23. International Classification of Diseases for Oncology (1976) ICDO, 1st edn. WHO, Geneva
  24. Joensuu H, Klemi P, Eerola E, et al. (1986) Influence of cellular DNA content on survival in differentiated thyroid cancer. Cancer 58:2462–2467 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  25. Kaplan EL, Meier P (1958) Non-parametric estimation from incomplete observations. J Am Stat Assoc 53:457–481 [Google Scholar]
  26. Kerr DJ, Burt Ad, Brewin TB, et al. (1985) Divergence between mortality and incidence rates of thyroid cancer in Scotland. Lancet 2:149 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  27. Kerr DJ, Burt AD, Boyle P, et al. (1986) Prognostic factors in thyroid tumours. Br J Cancer 54:475–482 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  28. Khafagi F, Wright G, Castles H, et al. (1988) Screening for thyroid malignancy: the role of fine-needle biopsy. Med J Aust 149:302–307 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  29. Levi F, Decarli A, La Vecchia C, Randriamiharisoa A. (1988) Krebssterblichkeit in der Schweiz, 1950–1984. La mortalité par cancer en Suisse 1950–1984; Cancer mortality in Switzerland, 1950–1984. Bundesamt für Statistik, Bern/Institut universitaire de médecine sociale et préventive, Lausanne (Amtliche Statistik der Schweiz, Nr. 165) [Google Scholar]
  30. Levi F, Maisonneuve P, Filiberti R, et al. (1989) Cancer incidence and mortality in Europe. Soz Proventivmed [Suppl] 2:52–53 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  31. Lindahl F (1975) Papillary thyroid carcinoma in Denmark, 1943–1968. Cancer 36:540–552 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  32. Mantel N (1966) Evaluation of survival data and two new rank order statistics arising in its consideration. Cancer Chemother Rep 50:163–170 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  33. Mazzaferri EL (1987) Papillary thyroid carcinoma: factors influencing prognosis and current therapy. Semin Oncol 14:315–332 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  34. Mc Tiernan AM, Weiss NS, Daling JR (1984) Incidence of thyroid cancer in women in relation to reproductive and hormonal factors. Am J Epidemiol 120:423–435 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  35. Mc Tiernan AM, Weiss NS, Daling JR (1987) Incidence of thyroid cancer in women in relation to known or suspected risk factors for breast cancer. Cancer Res 47:292–295 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  36. Muir CS (1982) Time trends as indicators of etiology. In: Magnus I (ed) Trends in cancer incidence. Hemisphere, Washington, pp 89–101 [Google Scholar]
  37. Muir CS, Waterhouse J, Mack T, et al. (1987) Cancer incidence in five continents, vol 5, IARC Sci Publ no 88. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon [Google Scholar]
  38. Okamura K, Nakashima T, Ueda K, et al. (1987) Thyroid disorders in the general population of Hisayama Japan, with special reference to prevalence and sex differences. Int J Epidemiol 16:545–549 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  39. Pottern ML, Stone BJ, Day NE, et al. (1980) Thyroid cancer in Connecticut, 1935–1975: an analysis by cell type. Am J Epidemiol 112:764–774 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  40. Preston-Martin S, Bernstein L, Pike MC, et al. (1987) Thyroid cancer among young women related to prior thyroid disease and pregnancy history. Br J Cancer 55:191–195 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  41. Riccabona G (1987) Thyroid cancer. Springer, Berlin Heidelberg New York, 95–125 [Google Scholar]
  42. Rigaud C (1988) Le carcinome papillaire de la thyroide: évolution des critères histologiques du diagnostic. Ann Pathol 8:211–219 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  43. Robbins SL, Cotram RS, Kumar V (1984a) Pathologic basis of disease. Thyroid Gland. Saunders, Philadelphia, 1201–25 [Google Scholar]
  44. Rolon PA (1986) Cancer de la thyroide en zone de goitre endémique. Ann Pathol 6:170–175 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  45. Ron E, Modan B (1982) Thyroid. In: Schottenfeld D, Fraumeni JF Jr (eds) Cancer epidemiology and prevention. Saunders, Philadelphia, 837–54 [Google Scholar]
  46. Ron E, Kleinerman RA, Boice JD, et al. (1987) A population-based case-control study of thyroid cancer. JNCI 79:1–12 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  47. Rosai J, Carcangiu ML (1984) Pathology of thyroid tumors: some recent and old questions. Hum Pathol 15:1008–1012 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  48. Rosai J, Carcangiu ML (1987) Pitfalls in the diagnosis of thyroid neoplasms. Pathol Res Pract 182:169–179 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  49. Saxén EA (1982) Trends: factors of fallacy. In: Magnus I (ed) Trends in cancer incidence. Hemisphere, Washington, 5–103 [Google Scholar]
  50. Schottenfeld D, Gershman ST (1978) Epidemiology of thyroid cancer. Cancer 28:66–86 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  51. Thöresen SO, Akslen LA, Glattre E, et al. (1989) Survival and prognostic factors in differentiated thyroid cancer — a multivariate analysis of 1,055 cases. Br J Cancer 59:231–235 [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  52. Tubiana M, Schlumberger M, Rougier P, et al. (1985) Long-term results and prognostic factors in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Cancer 55:794–804 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  53. Waterhouse J, Muir CS, Correa P, et al. (1976) Cancer incidence in five continents, vol 3, IARC Sci Publ no 15. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon [Google Scholar]
  54. Waterhouse J, Muir CS, Shanmugaratnam K, et al. (1982) Cancer incidence in five continents, vol 4, IARC Sci Publ no 42. International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon [Google Scholar]
  55. Weiss W (1979) Changing incidence of thyroid cancer. JNCI 62:1137–1142 [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  56. Williams ED (1979) The aetiology of thyroid tumours. Clin Endocrinol Metab 8:193–207 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  57. Williams ED, Doniach I, Bjarnason O, et al. (1977) Thyroid cancer in an iodine rich area. A histopathological study. Cancer 39:215–222 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  58. Wynder EL (1952) Some practical aspects of cancer prevention. N Engl J Med 246:573–582 [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology are provided here courtesy of Springer

RESOURCES