Increasing Incidence of Thyroid Cancer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Abstract

Since the mid-1970s, the incidence of thyroid cancer in the United States has more than tripled,^1-3 and thyroid cancer is now the seventh leading type of cancer in the nation.⁴ Moreover, by 2019, thyroid cancer is projected to become the third-most common cancer in women, with an annual age-adjusted incidence of 37 per 100 000.⁴ The majority of this increase is due to the rising incidence of papillary thyroid cancer (PTC), which is associated with an excellent prognosis and a 10-year survival rate of 95%.^1,3,5,6 However, notwithstanding its favorable long-term survival, PTC still causes significant morbidity and poses significant clinical and economic burdens.⁴ Accordingly, thyroid cancer represents an increasingly important disease in the United States, although the reasons underlying the rapid rise in thyroid cancer remain enigmatic.