THYROID CANCER IN CHILDHOOD AND ADOLESCENCE*

Abstract

Fifteen cases of thyroid cancer in children and adolescents between 5 and 20 years of age were seen during the period 1936-1956 at the University of Illinois Research and Educational Hospitals. Seven were papillary adenocarcinoma, 5 were adenocar-cinoma, and 3 were adenocarcinoma in adenoma. The average duration of the nodule in the neck or thyroid was 4.3 years. The incidence of carcinoma in nontoxic nodular goiter was 31.1%. In 6 of the 15 patients, operation consisted of thyroidectomy alone. In 9 patients with obvious metastases to the neck nodes, radical neck dissection was performed in addition to the thyroidectomy. All 15 are alive, but 2 of 9 patients (both papillary adenocarcinoma) who underwent radical neck dissection have a recurrence. The longest survival time has been 18 years. Of the entire series 53.3% are alive from 1 to 10 years after operation. Of the 10 patients 15 years of age or younger, all had had X-ray therapy to the head and neck in infancy or childhood; the dosage varied from 200 to 625 r. None of the patients between the ages of 16 and 20 had had irradiation.