Aim. The authors performed a retrospective investigation of
patients over thè age of 50, in order to detect any peculiarities of
cancer of thè thyroid possibly affecting surgical treatment and
whether age itself represented an independent prognostic factor.
Methods. A total of 152 patients were examined at thè Department
of Surgical Science of "La Sapienza" University of Rome
with a minimum follow- up of 10 years. The 152 subjects recruited
were divided into 3 age groups: from 51 to 60 years, (74 patients);
from 61 to 70 years, (57 patients); from 71 to 80 years, (21 patients).
Resulti. Relating thè different histologic types to age group, there
was found to be a lower incidence of well-differentiated carcinoma
and a relative increase in thè epidermoid and undifferentiated
forms in older patients. In thè 51-60 age group 80% of thè
patients were at stages I and II, while in thè 71-80 age group
56.2% of cases were at stages III and IV.
Conclusion. In thè elderly patient undifferentiated, anaplastic or
epidermoid forms and those with a higher biologica! aggressiveness
are more frequently found. We believe that prompt diagnosis
would present thè surgeon with neoplasms at an early stage
and with less aggressive histotypes, thus ensuring greater scope
for radicai surgical treatment and appreciably enhancing prognosis