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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Oncol.

Sec. Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention

Volume 15 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fonc.2025.1632221

This article is part of the Research TopicCancer Burden and Cancer Screening Strategies in AsiaView all 3 articles

The Burden of Thyroid Cancer and Its Association with National Development Levels in Asia: Evidence from 47 Countries (1990–2021)

Provisionally accepted
Wenyi QinWenyi Qin1,2*Jiong LinJiong Lin2Zhi ZhangZhi Zhang2Tuo XuTuo Xu2Siyi LiSiyi Li2Weijie ChenWeijie Chen2Muge LiuMuge Liu2Baibei LiBaibei Li2Haiqing LuoHaiqing Luo2*YU LILIYU LILI1,3*
  • 1Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macau Region, China
  • 2Department of vascular and thyroid surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China
  • 3State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicines, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China

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Objective: This study examines the trends in thyroid cancer incidence and mortality and explores their relationship with national development levels. Methods: Data on thyroid cancer from 47 countries were sourced from the Global Burden of Disease 2021 study, covering the years 1990-2021. National development was measured using the Human Development Index (HDI), Social Progress Imperative (SPI), Nutrition and Medical Care (NMC), the Density of Doctors per 100,000 population (DOD), and Personal Healthcare Spending (PHS). Correlations between these indicators and thyroid cancer burden were analyzed using scatterplot matrices, heat maps, and principal component analysis (PCA). The mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR) served as a proxy for thyroid cancer survival rates. Results: In 2021, thyroid cancer caused 44,798 deaths globally, up from 21,893 in 1990. Asia accounted for 62.8% of the cases. Among the working-age population, deaths ranged between 10,477 and 27,187, while incidence rates rose from 1.41 per 100,000 in 1990 to 3.36 per 100,000 in 2021. Nine out of the top ten countries in terms of incidence were classified as high or very high in HDI. The incidence of thyroid cancer correlated positively with HDI (Corr = 0.365), SPI (Corr = 0.384), and NMC (Corr = 0.332), particularly among men. Mortality, however, showed a negative correlation with HDI (Corr = -0.401), NMC (Corr = -0.437), and PHS (Corr = -0.446). The global MIR dropped from 0.135 in 1990 to 0.068 in 2021, though Asia saw a 21.1% rise in mortality and a 138% increase in incidence among the working-age population.The rising incidence of thyroid cancer in Asia, particularly in developed nations, has contributed to a global increase, though improved prognoses have led to better survival outcomes over time.

Keywords: thyroid cancer, Incidence, Mortality, Mortality-to-incidence ratio, Human Development Index

Received: 20 May 2025; Accepted: 29 Jul 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Qin, Lin, Zhang, Xu, Li, Chen, Liu, Li, Luo and LILI. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Wenyi Qin, Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macau Region, China
Haiqing Luo, Department of vascular and thyroid surgery, Affiliated Hospital of Guangdong Medical University, Zhanjiang, Guangdong Province, China
YU LILI, Faculty of Chinese Medicine, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, Macau Region, China

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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