Epidemiological trends of thyroid cancer in the central zone of Ecuador in the period 2012-2016

Abstract

Introduction: the importance of global and local incidence of thyroid neoplasms caused by environmental factors, created the need to describe this pathology's frequency and epidemiological status in the central area of the Republic of Ecuador.

Objective:  describe the epidemiological characteristics of thyroid neoplasms in the central zone of Ecuador during the years 2012-2016.

Materials and methods: data were obtained from medical records of patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the Oncology Hospital Dr. Julio Enrique Paredes, in the established period.  Variables such as sex, provincial and cantonal demographic distribution percentage,  histopathologic subtypes, family antecedents, and personal history were analyzed.

Results: an exponential increase in the casuistry was shown especially in the female sex, verifying that the incidence of thyroid cancer in both sexes increased with age. The age group with the highest incidence was between 40 and 49 years of age. A 14% of the patients present a family background of thyroid cancer, 34% disorders such as hypothyroidism, and 21% goiter without specifying functionality. A high incidence of neoplasm was presented in the following provinces: with 76% in Tungurahua, Ambato, and 65% in Cotopaxi, Latacunga city, with a prevalence of differentiated papillary carcinoma.

Conclusions: a high incidence of papillary thyroid carcinoma subtype was found and in a less proportion the follicular and follicular papillary variant. It is suggested that the high incidence is associated with sociodemographic markers, related to the improvement in health care and diagnostic capacity.