Table 1.
Demographics and Clinical Characteristics (n = 2563)
| Tumor ≤1 cm (n = 975) | Tumor >1 cm (n = 1588) | χ 2 P Value | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, y | <0.001 | ||
| ≤ 44 | 270 (30.8) | 609 (41.6) | |
| 45-54 | 252 (24.8) | 367 (22.3) | |
| 55-64 | 264 (25.8) | 338 (19.8) | |
| ≥ 65 | 189 (18.6) | 274 (16.3) | |
| Sex | 0.002 | ||
| Female | 789 (81.2) | 1200 (76.0) | |
| Male | 186 (18.8) | 388 (24.0) | |
| Race/ethnicity | <0.001 | ||
| White | 593 (56.9) | 877 (50.3) | |
| Hispanic | 162 (18.2) | 342 (23.8) | |
| Black | 121 (14.4) | 164 (11.7) | |
| Asian | 72 (8.9) | 162 (12.0) | |
| Other | 15 (1.6) | 34 (2.2) | |
| Insurance | 0.056 | ||
| Private | 673 (71.0) | 1047 (67.3) | |
| Other | 275 (29.0) | 496 (32.7) | |
| Cancer type | <0.001 | ||
| Papillary | 964 (98.9) | 1426 (89.8) | |
| Follicular and Hürthle cell | 11 (1.1) | 162 (10.2) | |
| SEER stage | <0.001 | ||
| Localized | 826 (85.0) | 953 (59.1) | |
| Regional and distant | 149 (15.0) | 635 (40.9) | |
| FNA performed | <0.001 | ||
| Yes | 801 (83.7) | 1463 (93.0) | |
| No | 158 (16.3) | 109 (7.0) | |
| Type of surgery | <0.001 | ||
| Lobectomy | 179 (18.6) | 137 (8.9) | |
| Total thyroidectomy | 420 (44.3) | 560 (36.2) | |
| Total thyroidectomy with LND | 376 (37.1) | 891 (54.9) | |
| Physician specialty responsible for informing patient of cancer diagnosis | <0.001 | ||
| Surgeon | 447 (47.6) | 573 (37.2) | |
| Endocrinologist | 344 (37.5) | 613 (40.3) | |
| Primary care provider | 83 (9.1) | 206 (13.6) | |
| Other | 56 (5.8) | 134 (8.9) | |
| History of thyroid cancer in first-degree relativea | 0.320 | ||
| 0 | 826 (86.1) | 1383 (88.2) | |
| 1 | 101 (10.6) | 139 (8.8) | |
| ≥2 | 31 (3.3) | 45 (3.0) | |
| Personal history of radiation exposureb | 0.740 | ||
| No | 877 (91.2) | 1424 (91.6) | |
| Yes | 86 (8.8) | 138 (8.4) |
Data reported as no. (%) unless otherwise indicated.
Abbreviation: LND, lymph node dissection.
Patients with family history of thyroid cancer in first-degree relative are categorized as follows: 0, no family history of thyroid cancer; 1, one family member with thyroid cancer; ≥2, two or more family members with thyroid cancer.
Patients were asked about exposure to radiation, not including x-rays or CT scans, prior to thyroid cancer diagnosis. This could include radiation treatment of another cancer or radiation from a catastrophic event such as Chernobyl. Of these patients with reported exposure to radiation, 18 of 77 (23.3%) and 20 of 130 (15.8%) reported radiation to the neck as treatment of another cancer in patients with cancers ≤1 cm and > 1cm, respectively.