Clinical profile of and factors associated with remission among patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer undergoing radioactive iodine therapy in Southern Philippines
Abstract
Background. Thyroid cancer among Filipinos is known to be more aggressive, with higher recurrence rates. Many Filipinos with thyroid cancer receive radioactive iodine (RAI) as part of adjuvant therapy.
Objective. To describe the clinical profile of and determine the factors associated with remission among patients with well-differentiated thyroid cancer who undergo RAI.
Design. Retrospective cohort study.
Setting. Nuclear Medicine Department, Davao Doctors Hospital, Davao City, Philippines.
Participants. 265 patients with thyroid cancer who underwent RAI therapy.
Main outcome measures. Remission frequency, odds ratio (95% CI) of non-remission for selected factors.
Main results. There were 205/264 (77.65%) females and 59/264 (22.35%) males in this study, with an overall mean age of 46.06 ±14.04 years. Most of the cancer lesions (241/255, 90.94%) had papillary histopathology. Majority of the patients (191/257, 74.32%) had early-stage cancer, while a third of them (89/264, 33.71%) had metastasis. Remission frequency within one year after initial RAI therapy was 155/265 (58.49%). Having an early-stage cancer increased the odds ratio (OR=3.87, 95% CI 2.02 to 7.41), while having any metastasis decreased the odds ratio (OR=0.22, 95% CI 0.12 to 0.41) of remission.
Conclusion. In this study, patients with thyroid cancer were mostly middle-aged women who had early-stage cancer with papillary histopathology. A little more than half of the patients had remission within one year post-RAI therapy. Early-stage cancer decreased, while metastasis increased, the odds ratio of remission.
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