Survey of clinician perspective on management of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma in Australia and New Zealand.

Background: The incidence of thyroid cancer has been rapidly increasing in recent years largely due to improved diagnostic methods. There is evidence to suggest that in papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), active surveillance (AS) is comparable in effectiveness compared to immediate surgery (IM). We conducted a survey of Clinicians and Surgeons from Australia and New Zealand to assess the role of AS in the management of PTMC.

Methods: A short electronic survey was created on the platform Survey Monkey, separate links containing the survey were sent to various medical societies to be distributed to its members. The list of medical societies included: General Surgeons Australia, Endocrine Society of Australia, Australian and New Zealand Endocrine Surgeons, Australian and New Zealand Head and Neck Cancer Society and New Zealand Association of General Surgery.

Results: We received 110 complete responses, which demonstrated that 63% of clinicians will discuss AS with patients diagnosed with PTMC. Surgeons are more likely to discuss AS compared to endocrinologists (P=0.03). Forty-eight percent of respondents report managing patients with AS in the past year, those who are able to perform thyroid ultrasounds are more likely to utilise AS (P=0.03). Common perceived barriers to AS include patient anxiety, lack of access to regular follow-up and lack of patient compliance.

Conclusions: Our survey shows that Australian and New Zealand clinicians are generally aware of AS as a treatment option for PTMC, but there remain considerable barriers for common implementation.