Endocrinol Metab.  2023 Oct;38(5):588-595. 10.3803/EnM.2023.1723.

Long-Term Changes in the Mortality Rates of Thyroid Cancer in Korea: Analysis of Korean National Data from 1985 to 2020

• Choi YM
• Kim MJ
• Lee J
• Kwak MK
• Jeon MJ
• Kim TY
• Hong EG
• Kim WB
• Kim WG

• KMID: 2546989
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3803/EnM.2023.1723

Abstract

Background
Thyroid cancer mortality has been largely overlooked as relatively stable given the large gap between thyroid cancer incidence and mortality. This study evaluated long-term trends in age-standardized mortality rates (ASMRs) throughout Korea and compared them with mortality data reported by the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER).
Methods
Cancer-specific mortality data from 1985 to 2020 were obtained from Statistics Korea. ASMRs from thyroid cancer were calculated based on the Korean mid-year resident registration population of 2005. We assessed SEER*Explorer and downloaded the mortality data.
Results
The ASMR increased from 0.19 to 0.77/100,000 between 1985 and 2002 but decreased continuously to 0.36/100,000 in 2020. The annual percent change (APC) in the ASMR between 1985 and 2003 and between 2003 and 2020 was 6.204 and −4.218, respectively, with similar patterns observed in both men and women. The ASMR of the SEER showed a modest increase from 1988 to 2016 and then stabilized. In subgroup analysis, the ASMR of the old age group (≥55 years) increased significantly from 0.82 in 1985 to 3.92/100,000 in 2002 (APC 6.917) but then decreased again to 1.86/100,000 in 2020 (APC −4.136). ASMRs according to the age group in the SEER showed a relatively stable trend even in the elderly group.
Conclusion
The ASMR of thyroid cancer in Korea had increased from 1985 to 2002 but has since been steadily decreasing. This trend was mainly attributed to elderly people aged 55 or over. The absolute APC value of Korea was much higher than that of the SEER.

Keyword

Thyroid neoplasms; Mortality; Standardized rate; Korea; SEER program

Figure

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  Fig. 1. (A) Age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) of thyroid cancer in Korea according to sex. Annual percent change (APC) of ASMR in (B) all subjects, (C) males, and (D) females. (E) Long-term trends in United States ASMR of thyroid cancer in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. aStatistically significant.

• 

  Fig. 2. (A) Age-standardized mortality rates (ASMR) of thyroid cancer in Korea according to age group. Annual percent change (APC) of ASMR in those (B) <45, (C) 45–54, and (D) ≥55 years of age. (E) Long-term trends in United States ASMR of thyroid cancer according to age in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results program. aStatistically significant.

• 

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