Comparison of clinical characteristics of patients with follicular thyroid carcinoma and Hürthle cell carcinoma

Abstract

IntroductionHürthle cell carcinoma (HCC) is an uncommon thyroid cancer historically considered to be a variant of follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC). The aim of this study was to assess the differences between these groups in terms of clinical factors and prognoses. Patients and methodsA total of 230 patients (153 with FTC and 77 with HCC) with a median follow-up of 13.4 years were studied. The different characteristics were compared using SPSS version 20 statistical software. ResultsPatients with HCC were older (57.3±13.8 years versus 44.6±15.2 years; p<0.001). More advanced TNM stages were also seen in patients with HCC and a greater trend to distant metastases were also seen in patients with HCC (7.8% versus 2.7%, p=0.078). The persistence/recurrence rate at the end of follow-up was higher in patients with HCC (13% versus 3.9%, p=0.011). However, in a multivariate analysis, only age (hazard ratio [HR] 1.10, confidence interval [CI] 1.04–1.17; p=0.001), size (HR 1.43, CI 1.05–1.94; p=0.021), and histological subtype (HR 9.79, CI 2.35–40.81; p=0.002), but not presence of HCC, were significantly associated to prognosis. ConclusionHCC is diagnosed in older patients and in more advanced stages as compared to FTC. However, when age, size, and histological subtype are similar, disease-free survival is also similar in both groups.