Open AccessClinical recurrence of papillary thyroid cancer in the remnant lobe
Author(s) -
Asanuma Kazuhiko,
Kobayashi Shinya,
Sugenoya Akira,
Yokoyama Shiro,
Shingu Kiyoshi,
Hama Yoshihisa,
Itoh Nobuo,
Kasuga Yoshio,
Amano Jun
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
european journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1741-9271
pISSN - 1102-4151
DOI - 10.1080/110241500750009276
Subject(s) - medicine , papillary thyroid cancer , palpation , cancer , thyroid cancer , surgery , thyroid , lymph node , retrospective cohort study , radiology
Objective: To find out which factors predict recurrence of cancer in the remnant after unilateral thyroid lobectomy for patients with papillary cancer. Design: Retrospective study. Setting: Teaching hospital, Japan. Subjects: One hundred thirty‐three patients with a clinically solitary papillary thyroid cancer who had unilateral lobectomy for the primary disease between 1966 and 1990 and were followed up for more than 60 months. Twelve patients had developed recurrences in the remnant gland by the time of the second operation and 121 patients had not as judged by a second operation, an ultrasound examination, or by palpation. Result: The primary tumour size in those who developed recurrences was significantly larger than in those who did not ( p < 0.0001), and clinical signs of regional lymph node involvement or distant metastases were also significantly more common ( p = 0.006). No patient died of their cancer. Conclusion: Size of the primary tumour is an important prognostic factor for recurrence of solitary papillary thyroid cancer in the remnant after unilateral lobectomy. Such recurrences are unlikely to be lethal. Copyright © 2000 Taylor and Francis Ltd.