Epidemiological and Histological Characteristics of Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma: A Case of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Ibn Rochd Hospital, Casablanca, Morocco

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) CA), 2024-01, Vol.16 (1), p.e52033-e52033
• Main Authors: Tabiti, Hajar, Guensi, Amal, Bendahhou, Karima
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Age; Breast cancer; Case reports; Coasts; Committees; Dissection; Family medical history; Females; Hospitals; Lymphatic system; Marital status; Metastasis; Neuroendocrine tumors; Nuclear medicine; Statistical analysis; Thyroid cancer; Thyroid diseases; Thyroidectomy; Tumors; Womens health
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.52033

Thyroid carcinoma (TC) represents the most frequent type of endocrine cancers, with its incidence steadily increasing worldwide. Our study aimed to describe the epidemiological and histological characteristics of differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) at the Department of Nuclear Medicine in Ibn Rochd University Hospital, Casablanca, Morocco. This was a cross-sectional study of DTC cases treated between 2004 and 2012 in the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Ibn Rochd University Hospital. We retrospectively reviewed medical records at this department, focusing on sociodemographic characteristics, such as age, gender, geographic origin, family history of cancer, and clinical information related to tumor features, including histological type, tumor size, and multifocality. The data were statistically analyzed using the jamovi 2.3.17 software (released September 2022, the jamovi project, retrieved from https://www.jamovi.org), considering the characteristics of the variables. The findings revealed that 89% of the patients were females, and 78.7% were under the age of 55, ranging from 14 to 85 years. Married status represented 75.25% of our cases. Personal history of cancer and a family history of thyroid carcinoma were present in 0.9% and 1.17%, respectively. Concerning histological characteristics, the main histological type was papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) at 93%. Within these 1,283 cases, the follicular variant was the most frequent (42.89%). In addition, the tumor size was less than 2 cm in 43.80%, and it was encapsulated in 21.60%. Moreover, we staged our data according to the 8th edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer staging system, revealing that at the time of diagnosis, 94.13% were in stage I. This study provides an overview of the epidemiological and histological characteristics of DTC in Morocco. The findings highlight the diversity and differences between clinical presentation and epidemiological profile in Moroccan patients, contributing to a better understanding of the disease and facilitating adapted management.