Thyroid cancer in Israel.

Abstract

PREVIOUS studies (Tulchinsky and Modan, 1967;Shani, Modan, Steinitz and Modan, 1966;Cohen and Modan, 1968; Mass and Modan, 1969) indicated a marked difference in the ethnic distribution of various tumour categories in Israel. The present report summarizes a comparison of this kind with regard to cancer of the thyroid. METHODRecords of all newly diagnosed patients with cancer of the thyroid in Israel, during the 6 year period of 1960-65, were obtained through a detailed hospital search. This list has been supplemented by a review of cases available at the Central Cancer Registry in Jerusalem, in order to ascertain cases which had not been cross-classified in the diagnostic files of the various hospitals. All of the latter records were subsequently re-reviewed at the index hospitals.The population denominator was based on the 1961 General Census and subsequent estimates.A total of 359 new cases were diagnosed during the 6 year period. In 340 of the 359 patients there was a definite histological diagnosis; in the remaining 19 cases (5.3%) the diagnosis was based on clinical grounds, on a histology of a metastasis or on a direct histological examination, but with a query added by the pathologist. Sixteen per cent of the 359 patients were Arabs, all with a histologically confirmed diagnosis. These were, however, excluded from further analysis because of a lower rate of case ascertainment in the Arab population. RESULTS