Variant-related clinicopathological features in papillary thyroid carcinoma: an analysis of 600 cases

Abstract

Objective To investigate the distinct clinicopathological characteristics among different variants of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma(PTMC). Methods The clinicopathological data of 600 PTMC patients treated in Tianjin Medical University Cancer Hospital from July 2015 to December 2015 were analyzed retrospectively. Chi-square test was used to compare the distinct clinicopathological features among different variants and multivariate Logistic regression analysis was performed for independent predictors for lymph node metastasis (LNM). Results Conventional variant (43.0%), follicular variant(46.7%), and encapsulated variant (7.7%), accounted for 97.3% of all cases. Follicular variant had the largest tumor size and encapsulated variant had highest rate of calcification and no extrathyroidal extension. The incidence of LNM was the highest in conventional variant followed by follicular variant and then by encapsulated variant. Maleness, age<45, calcification, minimal extrathyroidal extension and multifocality were independent risk predictors for LNM. Conclusions Follicular variant are the most common in PTMC, whose aggressiveness is far below conventional variant PTMC patients. Independent risk predictors for cervical LNM were maleness, age<45, tumor calcification, minimal extrathyroidal extension and multifocality. Key words: Thyroid neoplasms; Carcinoma, papillary; Lymphatic metastasis