Studies on Geographic Variations and Gender Bias in Thyroid Cancer at National Guard Hospitals in Saudi Arabia

Thyroid cancer (TC) is one of the most prevalent cancers in the world, ranked as ninth worldwide and third in Saudi Arabia. This report reviews the incidence of TC at National Guard Hospitals (Riyadh, Jeddah, and Ahsa), in relation to gender, geographic variation and age. The study design is quantitative cross-sectional retrospective review; data of 2166 patients with TC diagnosed in National Guard Hospitals (Ahsa -Jeddah- Riyadh) in the period of 2015-2021 was received from King Abdullah International Medical Research Center (KAIMRC). Chi- square, t-test, and ANOVA-tests were used in analyzing the relationship between variables. Out of the 2166 patient records, (79.78%) were females, and (46.6%) were in the age group of 40-60 with a mean age of 47.28 years. Riyadh had the highest incidence of TC (49.8%), while Ahsa had the lowest (5.6%). the commonest TC type was papillary (83.5%) followed by follicular (4.0%), medullary (1.2%), anaplastic (1.1%), hurthle cell carcinoma (0.8%) and thyroid lymphoma (0.1%). Females were more suspected to have TC, and the risk of having TC increases as age increases until the age of 60, where it decreases. The registered cases were more in Riyadh, Jeddah and Ahsa, respectively, except for lymphoma and hurthle cell, as they were high in Jeddah. Lymphoma was reported in Jeddah and in males only. The mortality rate was low (2.4%). However, increased death risk was observed in patients diagnosed above the age of 60. Mortality was seen in papillary, anaplastic and a single death case was reported in follicular TC. Research highlights Females are at higher risk to develop thyroid cancer than males. The risk of having thyroid cancer increased by age in both genders until the age of 60 where it decreased. The registered cases were higher in Riyadh then Jeddah, and it was the lowest in Ahsa. Lymphoma and hurtle cell were higher in Jeddah. Mortality was low and seen in papillary, anaplastic and a single death case was reported in follicular thyroid cancer.