Study finds no excess suicide mortality among thyroid cancer survivors

Suicide mortality among people surviving a first primary thyroid cancer was comparable to that of the general population in a population-based competing-risk analysis of 178,014 patients. During 1,566,507 person-years of follow-up, 165 suicides were recorded, equivalent to 10.53 deaths per 100,000 person-years. The researchers also identified sociodemographic factors associated with suicide incidence, including male sex, single or separated/divorced relationship status, and area-level median household income.

The study used the SEER 17 database to identify patients diagnosed with first primary thyroid cancer between 2000 and 2022. Investigators quantified suicide mortality with standardized mortality ratios and evaluated potential risk factors through cause-specific Cox models and Fine–Gray competing-risk regression, with non-suicide deaths treated as competing events. Because the study was observational, its results show associations rather than establishing that any identified characteristic caused suicide.

Some apparent associations depended on the statistical model used. In the cause-specific Cox models, older age, no surgery, and chemotherapy appeared associated with suicide risk. However, none of those associations reached statistical significance in the Fine–Gray competing-risk model.

In contrast, male sex, single status, and separated or divorced status remained independently associated with higher suicide incidence in the competing-risk analysis, while the highest area-level median household income category was associated with lower suicide incidence. The findings therefore point to sociodemographic patterns that were more consistent across the analysis than the disease-related factors that appeared only in the cause-specific models. Instead, the standardized mortality comparison found no overall excess suicide mortality despite the study’s large cohort and extensive follow-up.

The analysis also does not show that any screening, assessment, or referral program would prevent suicide, and the supplied evidence does not support causal conclusions about surgery, chemotherapy, income, or relationship status. Overall, the evidence identifies social vulnerability markers associated with suicide incidence in this cohort while leaving their causes and any interventions’ effectiveness unresolved.

Subject of Research: Population-based analysis of suicide mortality and associated factors among survivors of first primary thyroid cancer

Article Title: Suicide mortality among survivors of first primary thyroid cancer: a population-based competing risk analysis

Article References: Chen, E., Zhang, T., Huang, Z., Lin, J., Ji, Q., Chen, C., Chen, Y., Zhang, J., Huang, Z., Wang, W., Hua, Q., Weng, T., Wang, Q., Cai, Y., & You, J. (2026). Suicide mortality among survivors of first primary thyroid cancer: a population-based competing risk analysis. Supportive Care in Cancer, 34(11), Article 1131. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-026-11370-x

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1007/s00520-026-11370-x

Keywords: thyroid cancer, suicide mortality, survivorship, competing risks, Fine–Gray regression, SEER, standardized mortality ratio, sociodemographic factors, Suicide, mortality, survivors, first