ENTtoday
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Practice Focus
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Departments
    • Issue Archive
    • TRIO Best Practices
      • Allergy
      • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
      • Head and Neck
      • Laryngology
      • Otology/Neurotology
      • Pediatric
      • Rhinology
      • Sleep Medicine
    • Career Development
    • Case of the Month
    • Everyday Ethics
    • Health Policy
    • Legal Matters
    • Letter From the Editor
    • Medical Education
    • Online Exclusives
    • Practice Management
    • Resident Focus
    • Rx: Wellness
    • Special Reports
    • Tech Talk
    • Viewpoint
    • What’s Your O.R. Playlist?
  • Literature Reviews
    • Allergy
    • Facial Plastic/Reconstructive
    • Head and Neck
    • Laryngology
    • Otology/Neurotology
    • Pediatric
    • Rhinology
    • Sleep Medicine
  • Events
    • Featured Events
    • TRIO Meetings
  • Contact Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Triological Society
    • Advertising Staff
    • Subscribe
  • Advertise
    • Place an Ad
    • Classifieds
    • Rate Card
  • Search

Medical Surveillance Accounts for Excess Thyroid Cancers in Post-9/11 Firefighters

by Mary Beth Nierengarten • May 20, 2020

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version

Increased rates of thyroid cancer among World Trade Center (WTC)-exposed firefighters and emergency medical service personnel who participated in rescue/recovery efforts after 9/11 are likely due to medical surveillance rather than an actual increase in disease.

You Might Also Like

  • Surgery May Be Unnecessary for Some Small Thyroid Cancers
  • Changes in Thyroid Cancer Incidence Post-2009 ATA Guidelines
  • Dartmouth Atlas Takes Aim at Excess Utilization of Medical Resources
  • Active Surveillance of Papillary Thyroid Cancer Safe, Effective Alternative to Surgery in Some Patients

This is the conclusion of a recently published study in JAMA Internal Medicine (https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamainternalmedicine/article-abstract/2764101) in which investigators found excess asymptomatic thyroid cancer in these WTC-exposed personnel compared to a demographically similar non-WTC exposed cohort, but no differences in thyroid cancer-specific deaths or metastatic disease.

The study included 14,987 male WTC-exposed firefighters and emergency medical service personnel (women were excluded because of their small sample size) monitored through a medical surveillance program.

Between Sept. 12, 2001, and Dec. 31, 2018, 72 men were diagnosed with thyroid cancer, of which 65 (90.3%) could be categorized as asymptomatic (n=53; 81.5%) or symptomatic (n=12; 18.5%). Median age at diagnosis was 50.2 years and 46.6 years, respectively, and the median time to diagnosis was 11.5 years after Sept. 11, 2001. None of the men had thyroid cancer-specific mortality or metastatic disease.

To evaluate the association between WTC exposure and thyroid cancer among these workers, the investigators compared the incidence of thyroid cancer to a cohort of demographically similar men from the Rochester Epidemiology Project (REP) during a similar time period. In this cohort, 99 men were diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Among these, 54 (54%) were asymptomatic and 45 (45.5%) were symptomatic.

When assessing age-standardized incidence rates between the two cohorts, asymptomatic cancers were significantly higher in the WTC cohort (24.7; 95% CI, 17.4-52.3) compared to the REP cohort (10.4; 95% CI, 8.5-12.7) and Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-21 (9.1; 95% CI, 9.0-9.1) per 100,000 person-years.

Overall, men in the WTC cohort had a three-fold rate of asymptomatic cancers compared to the REP cohort (relative rate [RR], 3.1; 95% CI, 2.1-4.7). No significant difference between the two cohorts was found in the RR of thyroid cancer among symptomatic men (0.8; 95% CI, 0.4-1.5).

“Our results have important implications for how thyroid cancer incidence rates are interpreted and how cases should be managed once diagnosed, not only for WTC-exposed cohorts, but for the general population as well,” conclude the investigators.

Filed Under: News, Online Exclusives Tagged With: thyroid cancer

You Might Also Like:

  • Surgery May Be Unnecessary for Some Small Thyroid Cancers
  • Changes in Thyroid Cancer Incidence Post-2009 ATA Guidelines
  • Dartmouth Atlas Takes Aim at Excess Utilization of Medical Resources
  • Active Surveillance of Papillary Thyroid Cancer Safe, Effective Alternative to Surgery in Some Patients

The Triological SocietyENTtoday is a publication of The Triological Society.

The Laryngoscope
Ensure you have all the latest research at your fingertips; Subscribe to The Laryngoscope today!

Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology
Open access journal in otolaryngology – head and neck surgery is currently accepting submissions.

Classifieds

View the classified ads »

TRIO Best Practices

View the TRIO Best Practices »

Top Articles for Residents

  • Do Training Programs Give Otolaryngology Residents the Necessary Tools to Do Productive Research?
  • Why More MDs, Medical Residents Are Choosing to Pursue Additional Academic Degrees
  • What Physicians Need to Know about Investing Before Hiring a Financial Advisor
  • Tips to Help You Regain Your Sense of Self
  • Should USMLE Step 1 Change from Numeric Score to Pass/Fail?
  • Popular this Week
  • Most Popular
  • Most Recent
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Experts Delve into Treatment Options for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Weaning Patients Off of PPIs
    • New Developments in the Management of Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
    • Vertigo in the Elderly: What Does It Mean?
    • Some Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Resists PPI Treatment
    • Eustachian Tuboplasty: A Potential New Option for Chronic Tube Dysfunction and Patulous Disease
    • The Dramatic Rise in Tongue Tie and Lip Tie Treatment
    • Podcasts Becoming More Popular Method of Education for Otolaryngologists
    • How to Embrace Optimism in the Midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic
    • Tips on How to Approach Conversations with Patients about the COVID-19 Vaccine
    • Steps You Should Take to Protect Your Voice and Hearing During Telemedicine Sessions
    • Routine Postoperative Adjunct Treatments Unnecessary for Idiopathic Cerebrospinal Fluid Leaks

Polls

Have you spoken with your patients about receiving the COVID-19 vaccine?

View Results

Loading ... Loading ...
  • Polls Archive
  • Home
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Visit: The Triological Society • The Laryngoscope • Laryngoscope Investigative Otolaryngology

Wiley
© 2021 The Triological Society. All Rights Reserved.
ISSN 1559-4939

loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.
This site uses cookies: Find out more.