Globally, the incidence of anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) has followed a stable trend. However, over the past decade, we have observed a marked rise in the number of cases in the North Yorkshire region of the United Kingdom. Our study aimed to explore the incidence, demographics, and geographical distribution of ATC in this region over a 12-year period. We retrieved the clinical records of all patients with ATC in our centre from 2010 to 2022 and determined the incidence, demographics, and geographical spread of the data. 20 patients were diagnosed with ATC within the data collection period, with an average annual incidence of 14 per 10,000,000 of the entire North Yorkshire population (35 per 10,000,000 age-adjusted incidence rate). There was a clustering of data around the North Yorkshire region centre. The incidence of ATC in North Yorkshire was geometrically higher than the national average of 1.7 per 10,000,000. The geographical clustering around the region's centre was likely explained by its higher population density.
Keywords: anaplastic; cancer; dysphagia; head and neck surgery; neck lump; north yorkshire; thyroid; united kingdom.
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