The Most Commonly Occurring Papillary Thyroid Cancer in the United States Is Now a Microcarcinoma in a Patient Older than 45 Years

Abstract

The incidence of PTC is increasing disproportionally in patients older than 45 years. The number of PTC tumors smaller than 1 cm is increasing in all age groups, and now the most commonly found PTC tumor in the United States is a microcarcinoma in a patient older than 45 years. These changing patterns relating age and incidence have important prognostic and treatment implications for patients with PTC.