Union County Public Health Profile Report
Incidence of Thyroid Cancer: Age-Adjusted Rate per 100,000 Females, 2014-2018
Union 22.395% Confidence Interval (19.9 - 24.9)Description of the Confidence IntervalThe confidence interval indicates the range of probable true values for the level of risk in the community.
A value of "NA" (Not Available) will appear if the confidence interval was not published with the NJSHAD indicator data for this measure.State 27.7U.S. NA NA=Data not available.Union Compared to State
Description of GaugeDescription of the Gauge
This graphic is based on the county data to the left. It compares the county value of this indicator to the state overall value.- Excellent = The county's value on this indicator is BETTER than the state value, and the difference IS statistically significant.
- Watch = The county's value is BETTER than state value, but the difference IS NOT statistically significant.
- Improvement Needed = The county's value on this indicator is WORSE than the state value, but the difference IS NOT statistically significant.
- Reason for Concern = The county's value on this indicator is WORSE than the state value, and the difference IS statistically significant.
The county value is considered statistically significantly different from the state value if the state value is outside the range of the county's 95% confidence interval. If the county's data or 95% confidence interval information is not available, a blank gauge image will be displayed with the message, "missing information."NOTE: The labels used on the gauge graphic are meant to describe the county's status in plain language. The placement of the gauge needle is based solely on the statistical difference between the county and state values. When selecting priority health issues to work on, a county should take into account additional factors such as how much improvement could be made, the U.S. value, the statistical stability of the county number, the severity of the health condition, and whether the difference is clinically significant.
Why Is This Important?
During 2018, 423 male and 1,267 female New Jersey residents were diagnosed with thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer is different than many adult cancers in that it occurs about 3 times more often in women than in men, and it is more frequently diagnosed in younger adults.How Are We Doing?
Between 1990 and 2018, the age-adjusted thyroid cancer rate in females rose from 6.9 cases per 100,000 to 26.5 cases per 100,000. In males, the increase was smaller, from about 3 per 100,000 to about 9 per 100,000 in 2018. The reason for the sharp increase in thyroid cancer incidence rates, especially in recent years, is unknown. Theorized explanations include increased diagnosis of thyroid cancer by medical practitioners and increased prevalence of possible risk factors such as diagnostic radiation and obesity. The lifetime risk of developing thyroid cancer is 1 in 143 for men and 1 in 52 for women.What Is Being Done?
A Comprehensive Cancer Control Plan was developed by the Task Force on Cancer Prevention, Early Detection and Treatment in New Jersey which aims to reduce the incidence, illness and death due to cancer among New Jersey residents. [https://www.cdc.gov/cancer/ncccp/ccc_plans.htm]Note
Incidence rates (cases per 100,000 population per year) are age-adjusted to the 2000 US standard population (19 age groups: <1, 1-4, 5-9, ..., 80-84, 85+). Rates are for invasive cancer only (except for bladder cancer which is invasive and in situ) or unless otherwise specified. Number of cases (numerator) is the total count of cases in five years.Data Sources
NJ State Cancer Registry, Nov 16, 2020 Analytic File, using NCI SEER*Stat ver. 8.3.9, [https://seer.cancer.gov/seerstat/] NJ population estimates as calculated by the NCI's SEER Program, released February 2021, [https://www.seer.cancer.gov/popdata/download.html]Measure Description for Incidence of Thyroid Cancer
Definition: Incidence rate of invasive thyroid cancer for a defined population in a specified time interval. Rates are age-adjusted to the 2000 U.S. Standard Population. Rates are per 100,000 population.
Numerator: Number of new cases of thyroid cancer among a defined population in a specified time interval.
Denominator: Defined population in a specified time interval.
