Epidemiological Analysis of Adult Thyroid Cancer in Najran, Saudi Arabia

Abstract

Abstract Background and Aims: Thyroid cancer (TC) is the second most common neoplasm occurring in adult Saudi women. Therefore, this study aimed to discuss the demography, classification, and management of TC among adults in Najran, Saudi Arabia. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study reviewed 88 patients with histopathologically identified TC at Najran King Khalid Hospital between January 2018 and September 2022. Descriptive data analysis was performed, focusing on the clinical and pathological information, treatment strategies, comorbidities, and demographics. Results: This study included 88 patients with TC. Female sex (81.8%), age 30–44 years (46.6%), and Saudi nationality (77.3%) were not significantly associated with the histopathological diagnosis (P = 0.064, P = 0.313, and P = 0.603, respectively). Comorbidities were identified in 52 patients (59.1%), with thyroid diseases being the most common (21.6%), followed by hypertension (16.1%). Total thyroidectomy showed statistically significant results in 63/71 papillary carcinoma patients (88.7%), and hemithyroidectomy was significant in 9/14 follicular carcinoma patients (64.3%) (P < 0.001). Statistically significant results were reported with no neck dissection in the papillary, follicular, and coexisting papillary and follicular TC cases (P = 0.046), while bilateral dissection showed significant results in the medullary carcinoma case (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Our study examined the demographic and clinicopathological data of TC between 2018 and 2022 in Najran. We found that Saudi nationals, women, and individuals aged 30–44 years comprised the majority of those affected. The most frequent type of TC was papillary carcinoma.