We studied a total of 132 confirmed thyroid cancer cases over 5 years (2018–2023). Females constituted 86.3% (n = 114), and males constituted 13.6% (n = 18) as indicated in Table 1. The majority of the study populations in the age range 30-49 constituted 51/132 (38.6%) patients, followed by age range 50-69 constituted 37/132 (28%) patients, followed by age ranges 10-29 represented 29/132 (21.9%), and 70-89 were represented the least group 14/132 (10.6%), as indicated in Table 1. However, most of the patients were diagnosed as having PTC, which represented 98/132 (74.2%), followed by FTC, which represented 17/132 (12.8%), followed by ATC, which was found at 12/132 (9%), and MTC, which was the least common tumor type, representing 5/132 (3.7%) as indicated in Table 1. Table 1: This table shows the demographic features and the type of thyroid carcinoma.

The most common malignant endocrine tumor is thyroid cancer, which accounts for only 1% of all malignancies and often presents in a clinically euthyroid patient as a unilateral, painless thyroid nodule [5]. A total of 132 thyroid cancer cases were studied. We found that the most common age groups affected by thyroid carcinoma were 30-49 years old, as shown in Table 1. This finding is similar to the results found in the Republic of Yemen, where the most common age groups were 30–40 years old [6]. The female to-male ratio was reported as 4.29:1, but in our study, it was 6.3:1, as shown in Table 1 [5]. Females are more likely than males to be affected by thyroid cancer, and women are three times more likely than men to get thyroid cancer worldwide [7, 8]. PTC is the most common form of thyroid cancer globally [7]. In this study, PTC was more common than the other variant of thyroid carcinoma, accounting for 74.2% of the cases, as shown in Table 1. This histopathologic distribution of thyroid cancer is comparable to that reported previously from Saudi Arabia [5]. This finding was also similar to a study published in the Republic of Yemen [9]. According to reports, PTC is the most frequent malignant thyroid tumor, occurring between 57% and 93% [5, 10]. We observed a female-to-male ratio of 7.2:1 in PTC. It is interesting to note that the prevalence of PTC varies throughout studies, accounting for 60% in Pakistan, 63.6% in France, 87% in Spain, and 100% in India [11]. Multifactorial factors contribute to the global increase in PTC [12]. Moreover, PTC has more aggressive multiple histologic variations [13]. FTC accounts for around 10% of all thyroid cancer cases with a good prognosis [14]. FTC was found to account for 12.8%, as shown in Table 1, as compared to reports from southwestern Saudi Arabia, where it occurred at only 4.3%. These findings do not match our results [11]. ATC is an uncommon and highly aggressive cancer that accounts for approximately 1% to 2% of all thyroid cancers with a poor prognosis [15, 16]. ATC was found in 9% of all thyroid patients, as shown in Table 1. A female-to-male ratio of 5:1 is observed in ATC. Our study is similar to a recent comprehensive study conducted in the United States that examined 5359 patients with ATC, of whom most were female [17, 18]. MTC is a rare neuroendocrine tumor that develops from the thyroid gland’s parafollicular cells (C cells) and accounts for 1–2% of all thyroid cancer cases [19, 20]. According to the literature, MTC accounts for approximately 14% of all thyroid cancer-related deaths [21]. In our study, MTC was found to be the least common tumor type in 3.7% of all cases, as shown in Table 1, as compared to the United States, which accounted for approximately 4% of all thyroid cancers [22]. A 4:1 female-to-male ratio is observed in MTC cases in this study. Total or subtotal thyroidectomy is the most common method of treatment for all types of thyroid cancer, with the exception of primary thyroid lymphoma. L-thyroxine is essential for papillary and follicular tumors, especially because it helps suppress TSH. In certain conditions, radioactive iodine may improve survival in patients with well-differentiated papillary and follicular cancers. L-thyroxine suppression, total or subtotal thyroidectomy, or referral to other hospitals were the treatments provided for our patients. The most common long-term side effects of surgery include recurrent laryngeal nerve palsy, hypothyroidism, and hypoparathyroidism. Since some patients were referred to other hospitals and others disappeared from follow-up, the follow-up of our patients was inconsistent [5].

The limitations of our study are that we collected the data from four hospitals and centers in Mogadishu due to the small number of diagnostic centers in Mogadishu hospitals, which may not be representative. Our study was also limited to the prevalence of thyroid carcinoma and was not included in identifying risk factors for thyroid cancer.

Our study showed that all patients in Mogadishu, Somalia, with thyroid cancer were predominantly female, with an average age between 30 and 49 years. All patients diagnosed with thyroid cancer, 74.2% of whom had PTC, require total or subtotal thyroidectomy, which is the mainstay of treatment and follow-up. We recommend that studies be conducted in the future to identify thyroid cancer risk factors. Lastly, a national tumor registry is required to determine the incidence and prevalence of thyroid cancer across the country and implement a national healthcare plan to enhance diagnostic tools and treatment strategies for thyroid cancer patients.

We would like to thank all the participants, hospitals and diagnostic labotatories for their valuable contributions to the study; also, we would to thank Professor Dr Mohamed Wehlie, MD for all contributions, corrections, and critical reviews.

All authors made a significant contribution to the work reported, whether that was in the conception, study design, execution, acquisition of data, analysis, and interpretation, or in all these areas; took part in drafting, revising, or critically reviewing the article; gave final approval of the version to be published; have agreed on the journal to which the article has to be submitted; and agreed to be accountable for all aspects of the work.

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Omar Adam Sheikh. Prevalence of Thyroid Carcinoma in Mogadishu, Somalia: A Five-Year Retrospective Study. World Journal of Hematology and Oncology. 2025; 6: 1-3