Effects of Social Determinants of Health Care on Pediatric Thyroid Cancer Outcomes in the United States

Objective To identify social determinants of health care that are associated with poorer pediatric well-differentiated thyroid cancer (WDTC) outcomes and increased stage at presentation. Study Design Using the SEER database (Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results), we retrospectively gathered data on pediatric WDTC across the United States between 1973 and 2015. Setting All patients between 0 and 19 years old with a diagnosis of WDTC were included. Methods Patient variables were analyzed for relationships to AJCC stage at presentation (American Joint Committee on Cancer), overall survival, and disease-specific survival. Results Among 3913 patients with pediatric thyroid cancer, 3185 were female (81.4%), 3366 had papillary thyroid cancer (85.3%), and 367 had follicular thyroid cancer (9.4%). Two- and 5-year overall and disease-specific survival approached 100%. However, when outcomes were analyzed by specific populations, male sex, non-Caucasian race, poverty, and language isolation were linked to worse overall survival. Male sex and poverty were associated with poorer disease-specific survival. Regarding overall AJCC stage at presentation, male sex and Black race were related to higher overall presenting AJCC stage. Later AJCC T stage at presentation was seen in male, Hispanic, Asian, and Black patients. There were no variables significantly related to following through with recommended surgery. Conclusion Pediatric WDTC continues to carry an excellent prognosis in the United States. However, when we consider specific populations, the social determinants of health care affect survival and disease burden at presentation: male sex, poverty, language isolation, and race affected survival and/or AJCC stage at presentation in pediatric WDTC.