Optimal Cutoff Age for Predicting Mortality Associated with Differentiated Thyroid Cancer

<div><p>Patient’s age at the time of diagnosis is an important prognostic factor for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) as reflected in various staging and risk stratification systems. However, discrepancies exist among the different staging systems on an optimal cut-off age for predicting the clinical outcome of patients with DTC. To determine the age at diagnosis most predictive of clinical outcomes of DTC, a population-based cohort study was performed composed of 35,323 patients with DTC between 1988 and 2010 using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database. The Youden index J was used to determine the most predictive age-at-diagnosis for thyroid-cancer-specific death. The multivariate Cox proportional hazards model was used to determine the hazard ratios (HRs) for each age group. With a median follow-up of 5.4 years (range, 0–22.9 years), DTC-associated mortality was 1.5% (n = 533) and the rate of death from overall cause was 7.0% (n = 2482). The optimal cutoff age at diagnosis for thyroid-cancer-specific death was 57. Multivariate analysis found that the age-at-diagnosis is the most prognostic factor for thyroid-cancer-specific death (HR 10.02, 95% CI 8.18–12.28). Age at diagnosis is the most important prognostic factor for DTC patients. Based on our analysis, age at diagnosis of 57 might be the optimal predictor of thyroid-cancer-specific death. This finding might be used as consideration in revision of the risk stratification system for treatment of DTC patients.</p></div

Multivariate Cox proportional hazard ratios for all cause of death, and cancer specific death with 95% confidence intervals, and Youden Index J derived from an univariate analysis at every age.

<p>Multivariate Cox proportional hazard ratios for all cause of death, and cancer specific death with 95% confidence intervals, and Youden Index J derived from an univariate analysis at every age.</p

Flow chart of data collection.

<p>Flow chart of data collection.</p

Univariate and multivariate analysis of factors predictive of overall survival of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer using Cox proportional hazards model.

<p>*Extent of tumor: distant = distant metastases</p><p>Note: CI, Confidence Interval.</p><p>Univariate and multivariate analysis of factors predictive of overall survival of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer using Cox proportional hazards model.</p

Univariate and multivariate analysis of factors predictive of cancer-specific survival of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer using Cox proportional hazards model.

<p>*Extent of tumor: distant = distant metastases</p><p>Note: CI, Confidence Interval.</p><p>Univariate and multivariate analysis of factors predictive of cancer-specific survival of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer using Cox proportional hazards model.</p

Demographics and clinical characteristics of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (N = 35,323).

<p>*Extent of tumor: distant = distant metastases.</p><p>Demographics and clinical characteristics of patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (N = 35,323).</p

Highly Branched RuO₂ Nanoneedles on Electrospun TiO₂ Nanofibers as an Efficient Electrocatalytic Platform

Highly single-crystalline ruthenium dioxide (RuO₂) nanoneedles were successfully grown on polycrystalline electrospun titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanofibers for the first time by a combination of thermal annealing and electrospinning from RuO₂ and TiO₂ precursors. Single-crystalline RuO₂ nanoneedles with relatively small dimensions and a high density on electrospun TiO₂ nanofibers are the key feature. The general electrochemical activities of RuO₂ nanoneedles–TiO₂ nanofibers and Ru­(OH)₃-TiO₂ nanofibers toward the reduction of [Fe­(CN)₆]^3– were carefully examined by cyclic voltammetry carried out at various scan rates; the results indicated favorable charge-transfer kinetics of [Fe­(CN)₆]^3– reduction via a diffusion-controlled process. Additionally, a test of the analytical performance of the RuO₂ nanoneedles–TiO₂ nanofibers for the detection of a biologically important molecule, hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), indicated a high sensitivity (390.1 ± 14.9 μA mM^–1 cm^–2 for H₂O₂ oxidation and 53.8 ± 1.07 μA mM^–1 cm^–2 for the reduction), a low detection limit (1 μM), and a wide linear range (1–1000 μM), indicating H₂O₂ detection performance better than or comparable to that of other sensing systems

Central lymph nodal status of the tumor without capsule invasion according to age, gender, and ultrasonographic findings.

<p>Central lymph nodal status of the tumor without capsule invasion according to age, gender, and ultrasonographic findings.</p

Clinicopathological characteristics of the study patients.

<p>Clinicopathological characteristics of the study patients.</p

Multivariate analysis of factors associated with central lymph node metastasis.

<p>Multivariate analysis of factors associated with central lymph node metastasis.</p