At the recommendation of the National Cancer Institute, the panel sought to revise the terminology and to see whether the word "cancer" could be dropped from the name. An international team of pathologists independently reviewed 268 tumor samples diagnosed as EFVPTC from 13 institutions. They established diagnostic criteria, including cellular features, tumor invasion, and other factors. In 109 patients with noninvasive EFVPTCs, there were no recurrences or other manifestations of the disease at a median follow-up of 13 years, the panel found. On the basis of this information regarding outcomes, as well as other information, the panel decided to rename EFVPTC as NIFTP. "We determined that if NIFTP is carefully diagnosed, the tumor's recurrence rate is extremely low, likely less than 1% within the first 15 years," Dr Nikiforov said in the statement. "The cost of treating thyroid cancer in 2013 was estimated to exceed $1.6 billion in the US. Not only does the reclassification eliminate the psychological impact of the diagnosis of 'cancer,' it reduces the likelihood of complications of total thyroid removal and the overall cost of healthcare," he added. Move Away From "Cancer" Sets a Precedent This move to stop using the term "cancer" to describe a tumor set a precedent, but will it have an impact in other areas of oncology? There have been discussions for some time now regarding the move away from the word "cancer" in the description of early stages of both breast and prostate cancer. In 2013, a working group sanctioned by the National Cancer Institute proposed that a number of premalignant conditions, including ductal carcinoma in situ and high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia, should no longer be called "cancer." Instead, the conditions should be labeled something more appropriate, such as indolent lesions of epithelial origin (IDLE), the working group suggested. "Use of the term 'cancer' should be reserved for describing lesions with a reasonable likelihood of lethal progression if left untreated," the group said at the time. The proposal to move away from the word "cancer" for slow-growing prostate tumors had been airedearlier, in 2011, by an independent panel of the National Institutes of Health, but at the time, oncologists argued against the move, saying a change in name would confuse patients and arguing that "slow-growing cancer is still real cancer." Source
