According to new research, African Americans are diagnosed with thyroid cancer at a significantly lower rate than white Americans. The research, which was recently presented at the American Academy of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Foundation's annual meeting, is not necessarily good news, however, because concerns are arising regarding efforts to detect this uncommon cancer in the African American population. The thyroid cancer trend is unusual, because in general, statistics show that African Americans are more likely than other ethnic groups to develop other types of cancer and die from it.

Based on analysis of data going back to 1973, the authors found that instances of thyroid cancer in whites increased by over 150 percent, while instances among African Americans increased by only 73 percent during the same period. The study also determined that African American patients are more often diagnosed at an older age and with larger tumors. Among all groups, those patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer were more likely to be insured and live in wealthier areas.

According to the study authors, more aggressive detection efforts in African Americans could uncover more incidence of thyroid cancer, to the extent that the African American and white populations may be experiencing similar rates of increase. At the same time, they also recommend further research to explore possible genetic and/or environmental reasons that might explain such a dramatic difference.

_{Source: "Racial Patterns of Thyroid Cancer Incidence in the U.S.," Luc G.T. Morris, et. al. Monday, September 17, 2007, Annual Meeting, American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery http://www.entnet.org}