Hospital-Based Incidence Trends of Thyroid Cancer in Poland: Temporal Trends, Regional Disparities and Demographic Characteristics Based on a Nationwide Hospital Discharge Database (2012-2024).
6 affiliations
- 1Department of Digital Medicine, Implementation and Innovation, National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Wołoska 137, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland.
- 2Department of Family Medicine, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland.
- 3Department of Social Medicine and Public Health, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-091 Warsaw, Poland.
- 4National Medical Institute of the Ministry of the Interior and Administration, Wołoska 137, 02-507 Warsaw, Poland.
- 5Department of Population Health Monitoring and Analysis, National Institute of Public Health NIH-National Research Institute, 00-791 Warsaw, Poland.
- 6Institute of Psychology and Human Sciences, WSEI University, 20-209 Lublin, Poland.
Abstract
Background: Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common endocrine malignancy, with a steadily increasing incidence observed worldwide. However, temporal trends and demographic patterns may vary across populations. Objectives: To assess hospital-based incidence rates, demographic characteristics, and selected epidemiological patterns of TC in Poland between January 2012 and December 2024. Material and Methods: This population-based, retrospective study utilized hospitalization records of TC patients in Poland obtained from the Nationwide General Hospital Morbidity Study. Only first-time hospitalizations in the study period with reported primary or secondary diagnoses of TC were included in the study. Results: The study cohort included 60,604 patients, and the mean annual hospital-based incidence rate was 12.2 per 100,000 inhabitants (95% CI: 11.0-13.4). The hospital-based incidence rate decreased from 15.2 in 2012 to 9.8 per 100,000 in 2020, followed by a marked increase, peaking to 16.6 per 100,000 in 2024. Women constituted 82.2% of cases, indicating a strong sex-related disparity. The mean age at diagnosis was 51.1 years (SD: 15.9). The mean age at diagnosis was 51.1 years (SD: 15.9), and a greater proportion of hospitalized thyroid cancer patients were urban than rural residents (67.4% vs. 32.6%). Marked regional variation was observed, with the highest rates recorded in selected northern and central voivodeships. Conclusions: TC hospitalization hospital-based incidence rates in Poland showed significant temporal variability, with the lowest rate in 2020, which may reflect disruptions in healthcare access during the COVID-19 pandemic and a possible diagnostic catch-up effect in subsequent years. Regional disparities may suggest the potential influence of environmental, socioeconomic, or healthcare-related factors.
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BibTeX
@article{szydlarska2026hospitalbased,
title = {{Hospital-Based Incidence Trends of Thyroid Cancer in Poland: Temporal Trends, Regional Disparities and Demographic Characteristics Based on a Nationwide Hospital Discharge Database (2012-2024).}},
author = {Dorota Szydlarska and Katarzyna Lewtak and Marta Zuzanna Ciechomska and Anna Poznańska and Andrzej Śliwczyński and Krzysztof Kanecki},
journal = {Cancers},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.3390/cancers18193125},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42882820},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Hospital-Based Incidence Trends of Thyroid Cancer in Poland: Temporal Trends, Regional Disparities and Demographic Characteristics Based on a Nationwide Hospital Discharge Database (2012-2024).
AU - Dorota Szydlarska
AU - Katarzyna Lewtak
AU - Marta Zuzanna Ciechomska
AU - Anna Poznańska
AU - Andrzej Śliwczyński
AU - Krzysztof Kanecki
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/27
JO - Cancers
DO - 10.3390/cancers18193125
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42882820
AB - Background: Thyroid cancer (TC) is the most common endocrine malignancy, with a steadily increasing incidence observed worldwide. However, temporal trends and demographic patterns may vary across populations. Objectives: To assess hospital-based incidence rates, demographic characteristics, and selected epidemiological patterns of TC in Poland between January 2012 and December 2024. Material and Methods: This population-based, retrospective study utilized hospitalization records of TC patients in Poland obtained from the Nationwide General Hospital Morbidity Study. Only first-time hospitalizations in the study period with reported primary or secondary diagnoses of TC were included in the study. Results: The study cohort included 60,604 patients, and the mean annual hospital-based incidence rate was 12.2 per 100,000 inhabitants (95% CI: 11.0-13.4). The hospital-based incidence rate decreased from 15.2 in 2012 to 9.8 per 100,000 in 2020, followed by a marked increase, peaking to 16.6 per 100,000 in 2024. Women constituted 82.2% of cases, indicating a strong sex-related disparity. The mean age at diagnosis was 51.1 years (SD: 15.9). The mean age at diagnosis was 51.1 years (SD: 15.9), and a greater proportion of hospitalized thyroid cancer patients were urban than rural residents (67.4% vs. 32.6%). Marked regional variation was observed, with the highest rates recorded in selected northern and central voivodeships. Conclusions: TC hospitalization hospital-based incidence rates in Poland showed significant temporal variability, with the lowest rate in 2020, which may reflect disruptions in healthcare access during the COVID-19 pandemic and a possible diagnostic catch-up effect in subsequent years. Regional disparities may suggest the potential influence of environmental, socioeconomic, or healthcare-related factors.
SN - 2072-6694
ER -