Panel reclassifies thyroid tumour to curb over-diagnosis of cancer

Led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, an international panel of pathologists and clinicians has reclassified a type of thyroid cancer to reflect that it is non-invasive and has a low risk of recurrence. The name change is expected to reduce the psychological and medical consequences of a cancer diagnosis, potentially affecting thousands of people worldwide.

The incidence of thyroid cancer has been rising partly due to early detection of tumours that are indolent or non-progressing, despite the presence of certain cellular abnormalities that are traditionally considered cancerous, explained senior investigator Yuri Nikiforov, M.D., Ph.D., professor of pathology and director of Pitt’s Division of Molecular and Genomic Pathology.

“This phenomenon is known as over-diagnosis,” Dr. Nikiforov said. “To my knowledge, this is the first time in the modern era a type of cancer is being reclassified as a non-cancer. I hope that it will set an example for other expert groups to address nomenclature of various cancer types that have indolent behaviour to prevent inappropriate and costly treatment.” University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine