Management of thyroid cancer: results from a German and French patient survey
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Management of thyroid cancer: results from a German and French patient survey Matthias Büttner 1,2
&
Harald Rimmele 3 & Beate Bartès 4 & Susanne Singer 1,2 & Markus Luster 5
Received: 12 June 2020 / Accepted: 6 November 2020 # Hellenic Endocrine Society 2020
Abstract Objective Various national and international guidelines for the management of thyroid cancer exist. The aim of this survey was to evaluate whether patients experience differences regarding the management of thyroid cancer in Germany and in France. Methods An online survey addressing diagnosis, treatment, aftercare, and information needs of thyroid cancer survivors was set up by the German and the French nationwide thyroid cancer self-help organizations. The survey consisted of up to 70 questions depending on the given answers. Descriptive statistics and univariate comparisons, if appropriate, for comparing thyroid cancer survivors in Germany and France were performed. Results In total, 1254 thyroid cancer survivors took part in the survey, of whom 1005 were included in the analysis, 618 from Germany and 387 from France. Remarkable differences between the two countries were observed regarding waiting times, diagnostics, surgical complications, radioiodine treatment, and aftercare of the patients. A high disease burden and lack of information regarding the condition and its treatment were reported in both countries. Conclusion This large survey showed that despite various guidelines for the management of thyroid cancer, thyroid cancer survivors’ experiences are noticeably different between two big European countries. Lack of information and unmet needs are still tasks to be addressed in order to optimize thyroid cancer care. Keywords Thyroid cancer . Germany France . Management
Introduction Patients with thyroid cancer have a good prognosis, and thyroid cancer is considered very treatable [1]. Papillary (PTC) and follicular types (FTC) are reported to have a 10-year survival of up to 95% [2], while medullary types (MTC) have a slightly worse 10-year survival ranging from 75 to 85% [2, 3]. * Matthias Büttner [email protected] 1
Division of Epidemiology and Health Services Research, Institute of Medical Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Informatics (IMBEI), University Medical Center Mainz, Obere Zahlbacher Straße 69, 55131 Mainz, Germany
2
University Cancer Centre, Mainz, Germany
3
Bundesverband Schilddrüsenkrebs—Ohne Schilddrüse leben e.V, Berlin, Germany
4
Vivre sans Thyroïde, Léguevin, France
5
Department of Nuclear Medicine, University Hospital Marburg, Marburg, Germany
Anaplastic cancer has the worst prognosis, with a median survival of less than 6 months [2]. The incidence of thyroid cancer in Europe is estimated to be 6.3 per 100,000 per year and 7.98 per 100,000 per year in the USA [1, 4]. After a rise in incidence mostly due to a rise in PTC [4–9], the rate seems to have begun stabilizing within the last few years [10]. It is debated whether this increase was due to a true rise in incidence rates [11], a change
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