Thyroid lobectomy as a cost-effective approach in low-risk papillary thyroid cancer versus active surveillance.

BACKGROUND: An ongoing debate exists over the optimal management of low-risk papillary thyroid cancer. The American Thyroid Association supports the concept of active surveillance to manage low-risk papillary thyroid cancer; however, the cost-effectiveness of active surveillance has not yet been established. We sought to perform a cost-effectiveness analysis comparing active surveillance versus surgical intervention for patients in the United States. METHODS: A Markov decision tree model was developed to compare active surveillance and thyroid lobectomy. Our reference case is a 40-year-old female who was diagnosed with unifocal (<15 mm), low-risk papillary thyroid cancer. Probabilistic outcomes, costs, and health utilities were determined using an extensive literature review. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at $50,000/quality-adjusted life year gained. Sensitivity analyses were performed to account for uncertainty in the model's variables. RESULTS: Lobectomy provided a final effectiveness of 21.7/quality-adjusted life years, compared with 17.3/quality-adjusted life years for active surveillance. Furthermore, incremental cost effectiveness ratio for lobectomy versus active surveillance was $19,560/quality-adjusted life year (

Postoperative Surveillance in Older Adults With T1N0M0 Low-risk Papillary Thyroid Cancer.

BACKGROUND: The frequency and cost of postoperative surveillance for older adults (>65 y) with T1N0M0 low-risk papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) have not been well studied. METHODS: Using the SEER-Medicare (2006-2013) database, frequency and cost of surveillance concordant with American Thyroid Association (ATA) guidelines (defined as an office visit, ≥1 thyroglobulin measurement, and ultrasound 6- to 24-month postoperatively) were analyzed for the overall cohort of single-surgery T1N0M0 low-risk PTC, stratified by lobectomy versus total thyroidectomy. RESULTS: Majority of 2097 patients in the study were white (86.7%) and female (77.5%). Median age and tumor size were 72 y (interquartile range 68-76) and 0.6 cm (interquartile range 0.3-1.1 cm), respectively; 72.9% of patients underwent total thyroidectomy. Approximately 77.5% of patients had a postoperative surveillance visit; however, only 15.9% of patients received ATA-concordant surveillance. Patients who underwent total thyroidectomy as compared with lobectomy were more likely to undergo surveillance testing, thyroglobulin (61.7% versus 24.8%) and ultrasound (37.5% versus 29.2%) (all P < 0.01), and receive ATA-concordant surveillance (18.5% versus 9.0%, P < 0.001). Total surveillance cost during the study period was $621,099. Diagnostic radioactive iodine, ablation, and advanced imaging (such as positron emission tomography scans) accounted for 55.5% of costs ($344,692), whereas ATA-concordant care accounted for 44.5% of costs. After multivariate adjustment, patients who underwent total thyroidectomy as compared with lobectomy were twice as likely to receive ATA-concordant surveillance (adjusted odds ratio 2.0, 95% confidence interval: 1.5-2.8, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Majority of older adults with T1N0M0 low-risk PTC do not receive ATA-concordant surveillance; discordant care was costly. Total thyroidectomy was the strongest predictor of receiving ATA-concordant care.

Insurance Status Is Associated with Extent of Treatment for Patients with Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

Background: Health insurance has been shown to be a key determinant in cancer care, but it is unknown as to what extent insurance status affects treatments provided to papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) patients. We hypothesized that insured patients with PTC would have lower-risk tumors at diagnosis and be more likely to receive adjuvant therapies at follow-up. Methods: The American College of Surgeons' National Cancer Database was queried to identify all patients diagnosed with PTCs >2 mm in size from 2004 to 2015. Patients were grouped according to insurance status, and frequency of high-risk features and microcarcinoma at diagnosis were assessed. Multivariable analyses were used to identify independent predictors of more extensive treatment: total thyroidectomy (vs. lobectomy), lymphadenectomy, and radioactive iodine (RAI). Results: There were 190,298 patients who met inclusion criteria; the majority of patients had private insurance (139,675 [73.4%]) and were female (144,824 [76.1%]). Uninsured patients, as compared with privately insured patients, had higher rates of extrathyroidal extension of their cancers (25.2% vs. 18.9%, p < 0.001), lymphovascular invasion (16.2% vs. 12.0%, p < 0.001), and positive margins on final pathology (16.0% vs. 12.2%, p < 0.001). Conversely, patients with private insurance were 51% more likely to have microcarcinomas at diagnosis (odds ratio [OR] = 1.51 [confidence interval {CI} 1.35-1.68], p < 0.001) than uninsured patients, controlling for demographic, socioeconomic, and hospital factors. Private insurance was an independent predictor for treatment with total thyroidectomy (OR = 1.18 [CI 1.01-1.37], p < 0.05), formal lymphadenectomy (OR = 1.22 [CI 1.09-1.36], p < 0.001), and adjuvant RAI therapy (OR = 1.35 [CI 1.18-1.54], p < 0.001) as compared with no insurance, adjusted for socioeconomic, demographic, hospital, and oncologic differences. Patients with Medicare or Medicaid were no more likely to receive these treatments than uninsured patients. Conclusions: Privately insured patients have less aggressive PTCs at diagnosis, and they are more likely to be treated with total thyroidectomy, lymphadenectomy, and RAI compared with uninsured patients. Clinicians should take caution to ensure proper referral and follow-up for under- and uninsured patients to reduce disparities in treatment.

Cost for treatment and follow-up of thyroid cancer increases according to the severity of disease.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to provide an analysis of thyroid cancer-related health care costs over a 5-year period, according to the extent of thyroid surgery. METHODS: The study included 33 patients from our institutional database who underwent thyroid cancer surgery in 2010. Patients were divided into four groups based on surgical extent: (1) hemithyroidectomy, (2) total thyroidectomy, (3) total thyroidectomy with ipsilateral radical neck dissection, and (4) total thyroidectomy with bilateral radical neck dissection and mediastinal dissection. Costs for admission and outpatient follow-up for 5 years were analyzed. RESULTS: Costs for outpatient follow-up and admission, and overall cost increased with increasing stage of disease and increasing extent of thyroid surgery. Patients who underwent only hemithyroidectomy had the lowest costs for outpatient follow-up and admission, as well as the lowest overall cost. CONCLUSION: Over the 5-year follow-up period, surgery performed at an early disease stage was the most cost-effective.