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Changing Trends and Prognoses for Patients With Papillary Thyroid CancerInvited Critique
Martha A. Zeiger, MD
Baltimore, Md
Arch Surg. 1998;133:1065.
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| Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings. |
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The findings reported by Yamashita et al are due to a multitude of factors. The increase in age of patients given a diagnosis of papillary thyroid cancers during 3 consecutive decades is likely secondary to the increased longevity experienced by the overall population. Two factors exist that may contribute to the decrease in tumor size seen over time: (1) ultrasonography is more readily available and thereby identifies lesions that are smaller and not obvious clinically; and (2) fine needle aspiration biopsy, introduced during the 1950s, is more universally available and also can identify cancers at an earlier stage. The improvement in disease-specific survival is probably secondary to a change in the reported overall treatment of these patients. First, by identifying lesions at an earlier stage, one introduces the concept of lead-time bias, which can contribute to perceived overall improved survival. Second, the authors report an increase . . . [Full Text of this Article]
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