Table 1.
Demographics and clinical characteristics of enrolled patients
| Variables | Number of patients (n = 2705) |
|---|---|
| Sex | |
| Male | 353 (13.0) |
| Female | 2352 (87.0) |
| Age | |
| <40 years | 313 (11.6) |
| 40–59 years | 1132 (41.8) |
| ≥60 years | 1260 (46.6) |
| Family history of PTCa | |
| Yes | 101 (3.7) |
| No | 2604 (96.3) |
| Multiplicityb | |
| Yes | 391 (14.5) |
| No | 2314 (85.5) |
| Chronic thyroiditisc | |
| Yes | 900 (33.3) |
| No | 1805 (66.7) |
| Levothyroxine administration at the beginning of ASd | |
| Yes | 338 (12.5) |
| No | 2367 (87.5) |
| Initiation of levothyroxine administration during ASe | |
| Yes | 226 (9.5) |
| No | 2141 (90.5) |
| Tumor size at diagnosis | |
| <5 mm | 385 (13.9) |
| 5–8 mm | 1849 (68.7) |
| 9–10 mm | 471 (17.4) |
Values are presented as n (%)
AS active surveillance, PTC papillary thyroid carcinoma
aOne or more first-degree relative had papillary thyroid carcinoma
bEvaluated by imaging techniques (mainly ultrasound)
cPositive for anti-thyroglobulin antibody and/or thyroid peroxidase antibody
dAdministered before AS or within 6 months of AS initiation
eA total of 138 patients who were given levothyroxine at the beginning of AS were excluded from the calculation