Peer-reviewedCC BY-NCAnnals of surgical treatment and research
The impact of the media coverage on the thyroid cancer overdiagnosis issue concerning the surgical trends in South Korea, 2012-2017: a retrospective multicenter cohort study.
12 affiliations
- 1Department of Surgery, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 2Division of Endocrine Surgery, Department of Surgery, Chung-Ang University Hospital, Chung-Ang University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 3Department of Surgery, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seongnam, Korea.
- 4Department of Surgery, Haeundae Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
- 5Department of Surgery, Ewha Womans University Mokdong Hospital, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 6Department of Surgery, Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 7Department of Surgery, Dankook University College of Medicine, Cheonan, Korea.
- 8Department of Surgery, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 9Department of Surgery, Konkuk University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
- 10Department of Surgery, Jeonbuk National University Medical School, Jeonju, Korea.
- 11Department of Surgery, Chung-Ang University Gwangmyeong Hospital, Chung-Ang University School of Medicine, Gwangmyeong, Korea.
- 12Department of Surgery, Ewha Womans University Seoul Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aimed to evaluate changes in the extent of surgery and radioactive iodine (RAI) use in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in South Korea between 2012 and 2017.Methods
A retrospective, multicenter cohort study was conducted using data from 15 tertiary hospitals. Variables included extent of thyroidectomy, lymph node dissection, and RAI use. Trends were evaluated annually. Patients with recurrent disease, non-PTC histology, or missing data were excluded, and temporal trends were assessed using linear-by-linear association.Results
Among 27,625 patients, total thyroidectomy decreased from 72.7% to 40.8%, while lobectomy increased from 27.1% to 57.3%. Central neck dissection remained >90%, while RAI use dropped from 41.4% to 17.4%. Tumor diameter gradually increased over time, with a shift toward higher tumor-node-metastasis stages.Conclusion
A shift toward conservative surgery and reduced RAI use in patients with PTC reflects guideline-based deescalation of thyroid cancer treatment in South Korea. These findings demonstrate substantial changes in the real-world management of PTC across tertiary hospitals during the study period.
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BibTeX
@article{lee2026impact,
title = {{The impact of the media coverage on the thyroid cancer overdiagnosis issue concerning the surgical trends in South Korea, 2012-2017: a retrospective multicenter cohort study.}},
author = {Joon-Hyop Lee and Ra-Yeong Song and Hyeong Won Yu and Dongsik Bae and Hyungju Kwon and June Young Choi and Ji-Sup Yun and Myung-Chul Chang and Won Seo Park and Kyung Sik Park and Hyun Jo Youn and Dahyeon Lee and Seoa Lim and Jun-Ho Choe and Jung-Han Kim and Jee Soo Kim and Lee Su Kim and Kyung Ho Kang},
journal = {Annals of surgical treatment and research},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.4174/astr.2026.111.4.203},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909168},
note = {CC BY-NC},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - The impact of the media coverage on the thyroid cancer overdiagnosis issue concerning the surgical trends in South Korea, 2012-2017: a retrospective multicenter cohort study.
AU - Joon-Hyop Lee
AU - Ra-Yeong Song
AU - Hyeong Won Yu
AU - Dongsik Bae
AU - Hyungju Kwon
AU - June Young Choi
AU - Ji-Sup Yun
AU - Myung-Chul Chang
AU - Won Seo Park
AU - Kyung Sik Park
AU - Hyun Jo Youn
AU - Dahyeon Lee
AU - Seoa Lim
AU - Jun-Ho Choe
AU - Jung-Han Kim
AU - Jee Soo Kim
AU - Lee Su Kim
AU - Kyung Ho Kang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/08
JO - Annals of surgical treatment and research
DO - 10.4174/astr.2026.111.4.203
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42909168
AB - Purpose This study aimed to evaluate changes in the extent of surgery and radioactive iodine (RAI) use in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) in South Korea between 2012 and 2017.Methods A retrospective, multicenter cohort study was conducted using data from 15 tertiary hospitals. Variables included extent of thyroidectomy, lymph node dissection, and RAI use. Trends were evaluated annually. Patients with recurrent disease, non-PTC histology, or missing data were excluded, and temporal trends were assessed using linear-by-linear association.Results Among 27,625 patients, total thyroidectomy decreased from 72.7% to 40.8%, while lobectomy increased from 27.1% to 57.3%. Central neck dissection remained >90%, while RAI use dropped from 41.4% to 17.4%. Tumor diameter gradually increased over time, with a shift toward higher tumor-node-metastasis stages.Conclusion A shift toward conservative surgery and reduced RAI use in patients with PTC reflects guideline-based deescalation of thyroid cancer treatment in South Korea. These findings demonstrate substantial changes in the real-world management of PTC across tertiary hospitals during the study period.
SN - 2288-6575
SN - 2288-6796
ER -