Examining National Guideline Changes Association With Hemithyroidectomy Rates by Surgeon Volume

INTRODUCTION

The 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines established that hemithyroidectomy (HT) is an appropriate treatment for patients with low-risk thyroid cancer. HT rates increased since the ATA guidelines were released; however, the relationship between surgeon volume and the initial extent of surgery has not been established.

METHODS

A statewide database was used to identify patients with thyroid cancer who underwent initial thyroidectomy from 2013 to 2020. High-volume thyroid surgeons were defined as those who performed >25 thyroid procedures per year. A mixed-effect logistic model was used to compare low- and high-volume surgeons' initial extent of surgery pre-2015 and post-2015 ATA guidelines. Descriptive statistics were used to describe other surgical outcomes.

RESULTS

The analysis included 3199 patients with thyroid cancer who underwent initial thyroidectomy. Twenty-four surgeons (6%) were considered high-volume; they performed 48% (n = 1349) of the operations. After the 2015 ATA guidelines were released, the rate of HT increased significantly for low- (23% to 28%, P = 0.042) but not high-volume (19% to 23%, P = 0.149) surgeons. Low-volume surgeons had significantly higher rates of readmission (P = 0.008), re-operation (P = 0.030), complications (P < 0.001), and emergency room visits (P = 0.002) throughout the entire study period.

CONCLUSIONS

The publication of the 2015 ATA guidelines was associated with a significant increase in HT rates, primarily in low-volume thyroid surgeons. While low-volume surgeons began performing more HTs, they continued to have higher rates of readmission, reoperations, complications, and emergency room visits than high-volume surgeons.

Evolution of suppressing TSH therapy at diagnosis and in the long-term follow-up in a cohort of differentiated thyroid cancer

INTRODUCTION

To evaluate the adequacy of TSH suppression therapy (TSHst) at the first disease assessment and the last follow-up visit.

METHODS

Retrospective observational study of those patients under follow-up of DTC in a reference hospital.

RESULTS

216 patients (79.2% women) were evaluated, with a mean age 59.0 ± 13.1 years-old and a mean follow-up of 6.9 ± 4.3 years. 88.4% were papillary carcinomas. At diagnosis, 69.2% had a low risk of recurrence (RR) compared to 13.6% with a high RR. Dynamic risk stratification (DRS) classified patients at first disease assessment and the last visit as excellent response (ER) in 60.0% and 70.7%, respectively. Those patients with ER in the first and last follow-up control maintained TSHst in 30.7% and 16.3% of the cases, respectively (p < 0.001). The factors associated with maintaining TSHst at the last control were younger age, higher RR at diagnosis, DRE at follow-up, presence of multifocality and histological vascular invasion (p < 0.05). In a logistic regression analysis adopting tsTSH at follow-up as the dependent variable, exclusively age (β = -0.062; p < 0.001), RR at diagnosis (β = 1.074; p < 0.05) and EDR during follow-up (β = 1.237; p < 0.05) maintained statistical significance.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the current recommendations, 30.7% of patients with low RR and initial ER are under TSHst. This percentage reduced to 16.3% in those patients with ER after a mean follow-up of 6.9 years. Age, baseline RR, and DRE during follow-up were associated to maintaining tsTSH.

Trends in the Management of Localized Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma in the United States (2000-2018)

Background: In response to evidence of overdiagnosis and overtreatment of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), the 2009 and 2015 American Thyroid Association (ATA) adult guidelines recommended less extensive surgery (lobectomy vs. total thyroidectomy) and more restricted use of postsurgical radioactive iodine (RAI) in management of PTC at low risk of recurrence. In 2015, active surveillance was suggested as a viable option for some <1-cm PTCs, or microcarcinomas. The 2015 ATA pediatric guidelines similarly shifted toward more restricted use of RAI for low-risk PTCs. The impact of these recommendations on low-risk adult and pediatric PTC management remains unclear, particularly after 2015. Methods: Using data from 18 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) U.S. registries (2000-2018), we described time trends in reported first-course treatment (total thyroidectomy alone, total thyroidectomy+RAI, lobectomy, no surgery, and other/unknown) for 105,483 patients diagnosed with first primary localized PTC (without nodal/distant metastases), overall and by demographic and tumor characteristics. Results: The declining use of RAI represented the most pronounced change in management of PTCs <4 cm (44-18% during the period 2006-2018), including microcarcinomas (26-6% during the period 2007-2018). In parallel, an increasing proportion of PTCs were managed with total thyroidectomy alone (35-54% during the period 2000-2018), while more subtle changes were observed for lobectomy (declining from 23% to 17% during the period 2000-2006, stabilizing, and then rising from 17% to 24% during the period 2015-2018). Use of nonsurgical management did not meaningfully change over time, impacting <1% of microcarcinomas annually during the period 2000-2018. Similar treatment trends were observed by sex, age, race/ethnicity, metropolitan vs. nonmetropolitan residence, and insurance status. For pediatric patients (<20 years), use of RAI peaked in 2009 (59%), then decreased markedly to 11% (2018), while use of total thyroidectomy alone and, to a lesser extent, lobectomy increased. No changing treatment trends were observed for ≥4-cm PTCs. Conclusions: The declining use of RAI in management of low-risk adult and pediatric PTC is consistent with changing recommendations from the ATA practice guidelines. Post-2015 trends in use of lobectomy and nonsurgical management of low-risk PTCs, particularly microcarcinomas, were more subtle than expected; however, these trends may change as evidence regarding their safety continues to emerge.

Thyrotropin Suppression for Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Physician Survey Study

Background: Current guidelines recommend against thyrotropin (TSH) suppression in low-risk differentiated thyroid cancer patients; however, physician practices remain underexplored. Our objective was to understand treating physicians' approach to TSH suppression in patients with papillary thyroid cancer. Methods: Endocrinologists and surgeons identified by thyroid cancer patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results registries of Georgia and Los Angeles were surveyed in 2018-2019. Physicians were asked to report how likely they were to recommend TSH suppression (i.e., TSH <0.5 mIU/L) in three clinical scenarios: patients with intermediate-risk, low-risk, and very low-risk papillary thyroid cancer. Responses were measured on a 4-point Likert scale (extremely unlikely to extremely likely). Multivariable logistic regressions were performed to determine physician characteristics associated with recommending TSH suppression in each of the aforementioned scenarios. Results: Response rate was 69% (448/654). Overall, 80.4% of physicians were likely/extremely likely to recommend TSH suppression for a patient with an intermediate-risk papillary thyroid cancer, 48.8% for a patient with low-risk papillary thyroid cancer, and 29.7% for a patient with very low-risk papillary thyroid cancer. Surgeons were less likely to recommend TSH suppression for an intermediate-risk papillary thyroid cancer patient (odds ratio [OR] = 0.36 [95% confidence interval, CI, 0.19-0.69]) compared with endocrinologists. Physicians with higher thyroid cancer patient volume were less likely to suppress TSH in low-risk and very low-risk papillary thyroid cancer patients (i.e., >40 patients per year, OR = 0.53 [CI 0.30-0.96]; OR = 0.49 [CI 0.24-0.99], respectively, compared with 0-20 patients per year). Physicians who estimated higher likelihood of recurrence were more likely to suppress TSH in a patient with very low-risk papillary thyroid cancer (OR = 2.34 [CI 1.91-4.59]). Conclusions: Many patients with low-risk thyroid cancer continue to be treated with suppressive doses of thyroid hormone, emphasizing the need for more high-quality research to guide thyroid cancer management, as well as better understanding of barriers that hinder guideline adoption.