Abstract
This study aimed to systematically elucidate the metastatic patterns and their corresponding survival of each thyroid cancer subtype at time of diagnosis. We accessed the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database from 2010 to 2018 to search for primary thyroid cancers with DM at presentation (M1). We included 2787 M1 thyroid cancers for statistical analyses and the incidence of DM at presentation was 2.4%. Lung was the most common metastatic site for anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC), poorly differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC), papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and oncocytic (Hurthle) cell carcinoma (HCC) whereas bone is the favorable disseminated site of follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) and medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). Patients with multi-organ metastases had the worst survival whereas bone metastases were associated with a favorable outcome (p< 0.001). There are significant differences in DM patterns of thyroid cancer subtypes and their corresponding survival.
Highlights
Distant metastasis (DM) at presentation is one of the important prognostic factors in thyroid cancers
The risk of liver metastasis was highest in medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC) while metastases to the brain were uncommon among thyroid cancer subtypes
Among M1 thyroid cancers, anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC) showed the worst outcome while papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) and follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC) exhibited a superior survival
Summary
Distant metastasis (DM) at presentation is one of the important prognostic factors in thyroid cancers. Dissemination patterns of different thyroid cancer subtypes are still controversial. This study aimed to systematically elucidate the metastatic patterns and their corresponding survival of each thyroid cancer subtype at time of diagnosis. Papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) remains the most common histologic subtype, followed by follicular thyroid carcinoma (FTC), medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC), poorly-differentiated thyroid carcinoma (PDTC), and anaplastic thyroid carcinoma (ATC). A subset of thyroid cancers may behave aggressively with distant metastasis (DM) at time of diagnosis, which is the main prognostic factor for disease-specific mortality [2]. Clinical data on the dissemination patterns and survival of thyroid cancers with DM at presentation have been primarily gathered from retrospective institutional experience. The number of included patients in these studies is relatively small and often limited to a specific subtype of thyroid cancer
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
