The 2015 American Thyroid Association guidelines and trends in hemithyroidectomy utilization for pediatric thyroid cancer

Background In 2015, the American Thyroid Association (ATA) released its inaugural recommendations for the management of thyroid cancer in children. We aim to evaluate whether there has been a change in hemithyroidectomy utilization for pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer, and the association between those changes and the release of the ATA guidelines. Methods The National Cancer Database was queried and identified 4776 patients <= 18 years old with differentiated thyroid cancer. Causal impact time-series analysis and logistic analysis were utilized to assess factors associated with use of hemithyroidectomy. Results Post-2015 hemithyroidectomy rate was greater than predicted based on preguideline trends (predicted: 8.4%, actual: 12.6%, p = 0.001). In logistic analysis of factors associated with hemithyroidectomy use, we find that Papillary histology, tumor size >1 cm, nodal examination, and positive nodes were associated with lower rate of hemithyroidectomy (OR: 0.23, 0.51, 0.62, and 0.18, respectively). Conclusion There has been a significant increase in hemithyroidectomy utilization for pediatric differentiated thyroid cancer.