Lateral Cervical Node Research Articles

The Prognostic Significance of Extranodal Extension in Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Real-World Study

Background: The prognostic significance of extranodal extension in papillary thyroid cancer remains controversial. Methods: Seven hundred and thirty-eight PTC patients were enrolled in the study from January 2016 to December 2019. Patients were dichotomized with or without ENE. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to compare differences between the two groups. Kaplan-Meier (K-M) curve and propensity score matching analysis were used for recurrence-free survival comparison. Result: Thirty patients (4.07%) had associated extranodal extension. Univariate analysis demonstrated age, tumor size, extrathyroidal extension, nodal staging to be associated with ENE. Further logistic regression analysis showed age, extrathyroidal extension and nodal staging remained statistically significant. Evaluation of K-M curves demonstrated a statistically significant difference was found between two groups before and after propensity score matching. Conclusions: Age≥55years, extrathyroidal extension, and lateral cervical lymph node metastasis have been identified as independent risk factors of ENE. PTC patients with ENE have worse recurrence-free survival. Funding: This work is supported by Science Research Program of Hangzhou(20180533B39), the Project of Medical Scientific and Technology Program in Hangzhou (grant number A20200432), and the Medical and Health Research Program of Zhejiang Province (2019RC240). Declaration of Interest: The authors declare no conflict of interests. Ethical Approval: The present study was approved by the Ethics Committee of our institution (Affiliated Hangzhou First People's Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine).

Tall Cell Variant versus Conventional Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma: A Retrospective Analysis in 351 Consecutive Patients.

Background: The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate clinical and pathological characteristics of the tall cell variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma compared to conventional variants. Methods: The clinical records of patients who underwent surgical treatment between 2009 and 2015 were analyzed. The patients were divided into two groups: those with a histopathological diagnosis of tall cell papillary carcinoma were included in Group A, and those with a diagnosis of conventional variants in Group B. Results: A total of 35 patients were included in Group A and 316 in Group B. All patients underwent total thyroidectomy. Central compartment and lateral cervical lymph node dissection were performed more frequently in Group A (42.8% vs. 18%, p = 0.001, and 17.1% vs. 6.9%, p = 0.04). Angiolymphatic invasion, parenchymal invasion, extrathyroidal extension, and lymph node metastases were more frequent in Group A, and the data reached statistical significance. Local recurrence was more frequent in Group A (17.1% vs. 6.3%, p = 0.02), with two patients (5.7%) in Group A showing visceral metastases, whereas no patient in Group B developed metastatic cancer (p = 0.009). Conclusions: Tall cell papillary carcinoma is the most frequent aggressive variant of papillary thyroid cancer. Tall cell histology represents an independent poor prognostic factor compared to conventional variants.

Associations of BRAF V600E, clinical pathology and imaging factors with the recurrence rate of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma.

In the present study, the recurrence rate of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) was assessed by analyzing postoperative follow-up data of affected patients and its associations with BRAF V600E, clinical pathology and imaging factors were explored. A total of 506 patients with PTMC were selected who underwent surgery from January 2014 to March 2016. The maximal diameter of thyroid nodules was ≤1 cm and all patients who underwent BRAF V600E testing and evaluation for lymph node metastasis. Postoperatively, each patient was regularly followed up to detect recurrence. Categorical variables were comparatively analyzed using univariate Cox linear regression analysis to screen for protective and adverse factors influencing recurrence of PTMC. A stepwise Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis was performed to explore risk factors affecting recurrence. Among the 506 patients, 477 were followed up, 29 were lost to follow-up and 26 patients experienced recurrence. The 5-year recurrent rate of PTMC was 5.45%. The univariate Cox regression analysis indicated that PTMC recurrence was influenced by BRAF V600E, sex, multifocality, capsular invasion and lateral cervical lymph node metastasis (P<0.05), but not by age, tumor location on the thyroid, size, single central lymph node metastasis, distant metastasis and operative approach (P>0.05). The significant factors associated with recurrent PTMC were subjected to stepwise multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model analysis and the results indicated that BRAF V600E, sex, multifocality and lateral cervical lymph node metastasis were independent factors influencing recurrence in patients with PTMC, with a statistically significant difference (P<0.05). In conclusion, BRAF V600E, sex, multifocality and lateral cervical lymph node metastasis are independent risk factors for recurrent PTMC.

Unilateral Tnm T1 And T2 Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma With Lateral Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis: Total Thyroidectomy or Lobectomy?

The aim of this study was to explore the effect of total thyroidectomy (TT) and lobectomy (LT) on the prognosis of unilateral papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) with lateral cervical lymph node metastasis. Patients with PTC and lateral cervical lymph node metastasis who underwent lateral cervical lymph node dissection between January 2007 and December 2016 were retrospectively reviewed. To investigate the effect of surgical procedure on the prognosis of lymph node metastasis patients, other high-risk factors such as extrathyroidal invasion and large tumor size were excluded. All patients were in Tumor-Node-Metastasis (TNM) stage T1 and T2. Primary end point was recurrence-free survival (RFS). Among 264 PTC patients, 104 (39.4%) patients received TT and 160 (60.6%) patients received LT. With a median follow-up of 50 months (interquartile range, 34 to 74 months), 7 patients (2.65%) experienced recurrence. The 5-year RFS in the TT and LT groups was 96.1% and 97.7%, respectively, and was not significantly different (P = .765). Similar results were found when excluding patients who received radioiodine ablation, which were 97.7% and 97.4%, respectively (P = .752). Age ≥55 years (hazard ratio, 7.368; P = .018) and multifocality in the ispi-lateral lobe (hazard ratio, 10.059; P =.006) were identified as independent risk factors of recurrence. For unilateral TNM T1 and T2 PTC patients with lateral lymph node metastasis, there was no significant difference in the effect of TT and LT for RFS in the absence of other risk factors during the follow-up period. Patient age ≥55 years with multifocality in the unilateral lobe might be independent risk factors for prognosis.

Role of intraoperative neuromonitoring of recurrent laryngeal nerve in thyroid and parathyroid surgery.

ObjectiveTo investigate whether intraoperative neuromonitoring (IONM) has a significant advantage in reducing the incidence of recurrent laryngeal nerve (RLN) injury.MethodsPatients who underwent thyroid and parathyroid surgery from October 2012 to December 2017 at the Center for Thyroid and Breast Surgery of Xuanwu Hospital were retrospectively analyzed. They were divided into the IONM group and visualization alone group (VA group) according to whether IONM was used.ResultsIn total, 1696 nerves at risk of injury (IONM group, n = 1104; VA group, n = 592) were included in the analysis. Among the high-risk nerves, permanent damage occurred in no cases in the IONM group but in one case in the VA group. Because the higher proportion of central lymph node metastasis caused difficulties in central cervical lymph node dissection and identification of the RLN, the patients undergoing lateral cervical lymph node dissection in the VA group had a significantly higher risk of postoperative RLN injury (11.76% vs. 0.00%).ConclusionIONM technology has advantages in protection of the RLN, especially in high-risk nerves and patients with a high proportion of central lymph node metastasis who require central and lateral cervical lymph node dissection.

Ultrasound-Based Radiomic Nomogram for Predicting Lateral Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma

Accurate preoperative identification of lateral cervical lymph node metastasis (LNM) is important for decision-making and clinical management of patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). The aim of this study was to develop an ultrasound (US)-based radiomic nomogram to preoperatively predict the lateral LNM in PTC patients. In this retrospective study, a total of 886 patients were enrolled and randomly divided into 2 groups. Radiomic features were extracted from the preoperative US images. A radiomic signature was constructed using the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator algorithm in the training set. Multivariate logistic regression was performed to develop the radiomic nomogram, which incorporating the radiomic signature and the selected clinical characteristics. The performance of the nomogram was assessed by its discrimination, calibration, and clinical usefulness in both the training and validation sets. The radiomic signature was significantly associated with the lateral LNM in both cohorts (p< 0.001). The nomogram that consisted of radiomic signature, US-reported cervical lymph node (CLN) status, and CT-reported CLN status demonstrated good discrimination and calibration in the training and validation sets with an AUC of 0.946 and 0.914, respectively. The decision curve analysis indicated that the radiomic nomogram was worthy of clinical application. The radiomic nomogram proposed here has good performance for noninvasively predicting the lateral LNM and might be used to facilitate clinical decision-making and potentially improve the survival outcome in selected patients.

Evaluation of contrast-enhanced ultrasound in the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lateral cervical lymph nodes

Objective: To investigate the value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) in the diagnosis of benign and malignant lateral cervical lymph nodes. Methods: One hundred and fifteen cases of suspected lymph nodes disease, 60 males, 55 females, between November 2018 and June 2019 from clinic and inpatient in Fujian Cancer Hospital were collected. Routine ultrasound and CEUS were performed in 115 cases of lateral cervical lymph nodes. All cases underwent ultrasound-guided biopsy, and were divided into two groups of benign and malignant lymph nodes according to pathological results. The differences between the two groups were analyzed and statistically analyzed. The rate and frequency were used to qualitatively describe the ultrasound performance and observed lymph node morphology between the two groups of routine ultrasound and CEUS. The sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, negative predictive value and positive predictive value were used to evaluate the efficacy of routine ultrasound and CEUS. Results: There were 37 cases of benign lymph nodes and 78 cases of malignant lymph nodes. In benign lymph nodes, 51.4% (19/37) showed uniform high enhancement, and 48.6% (18/37) showed uneven or circular enhancement with clear boundaries and no focal enhancement area. In malignant lymph nodes, 94.9% (74/78) showed uneven enhancement, and only 5.1% (4/78) showed uniform enhancement. The difference of ultrasonic contrast medium uniformities in differentiating benign from malignant was statistically significant (P<0.001). The sensitivity, accuracy, negative predictive value and positive predictive value of routine ultrasound to differentiate benign and malignant lymph nodes were 64.1%, 65.2%, 47.2%, and 66.7%, respectively, while the corresponding values of CEUS were 93.6%, 75.7%, 73.7% and 83.9%. Conclusion: CEUS may provide a valuable basis for the differential diagnosis of benign and malignant lateral cervical lymph nodes.

&lt;p&gt;Analysis of Risk Factors for Lymph Node Metastases in Elderly Patients with Papillary Thyroid Micro-Carcinoma&lt;/p&gt;

BackgroundWith guidance from the American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) Cancer Staging Manual, 8th edition, we explored the characteristics of central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) of papillary thyroid micro-carcinoma (PTMC) in elderly patients ≥55 years of age. Our goal was to provide references for establishing a lymph node dissection scheme in such patients.MethodsWe retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of thyroid cancer patients admitted to the Head and Neck Surgery Center of Sichuan Cancer Hospital, Chengdu, China, from January 2015 to September 2018. Then, we screened and analyzed eligible PTMC cases in strict accordance with our inclusion and exclusion criteria.ResultsThe study included 107 patients, including 24 men and 83 women. Median age was 59.99 ± 4.58 years. The maximum diameter range of the cancer foci was 4–10 mm, and the median was 7.59 ± 1.78 mm. Unilateral lobectomy had been performed in 32 cases, total thyroidectomy in 75 cases and lateral cervical lymph node dissection in 21 cases. There were 60 cases of CLNM (56.07%) and 13 cases of lateral cervical lymph node metastasis (12.10%). The sensitivity of preoperative ultrasound in predicting CLNM was 100%, but its accuracy was only 50.47%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that multiple cancer foci (area under the curve [AUC] = 0.632), extra-thyroidal expansion of cancer focus (AUC = 0.721), and irregular nodules (AUC = 0.603) were independent risk factors for CLNM of PTMC in elderly patients (P < 0.05). Overall predictability for PTMC-CLNM was 80.30%.Conclusion1) Preoperative color Doppler ultrasound is not recommended as the basis for cervical lymph node dissection in PTMC patients. 2) For multiple cancer foci, irregular nodules, and elderly patients with PTMC extra-thyroidal expansion, we recommend a prophylactic central lymph node dissecting. 3) Nonsurgical observation of PTMC in elderly patients with low risk should be carefully selected.

Role of Prophylactic Central Compartment Lymph Node Dissection on the Outcome Of Patients With Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma and Synchronous Ipsilateral Cervical Lymph Node Metastases

Prophylactic central compartment lymph node dissection (pCCND) results in a higher percentage of surgical-related complications. To date, no evidence of the impact of pCCND on the clinical outcome of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) patients with synchronous ipsilateral cervical lymph node metastases has been reported. We evaluated all consecutive patients affected by PTC and synchronous ipsilateral cervical, but without evidence of central compartment, lymph node metastases. We selected 54 consecutive patients (group A) treated by total thyroidectomy, ipsilateral cervical lymph node dissection, and pCCND and 115 patients (group B) matched for sex, age at diagnosis, number and dimension of the metastatic lateral cervical lymph nodes, without pCCND. Clinical outcome after a median of 5 years and surgical-related complications were assessed. The two groups were completely similar in terms of clinical features. Clinical outcomes showed a higher percentage of biochemical and indeterminate but not structural response in group B. Group B required significantly more radioiodine treatments, but no difference was shown in the need to repeat surgery for recurrences. Conversely, the prevalence of permanent hypoparathyroidism was significantly higher in group A (14.8%) than in group B (4.3%). In PTC patients with synchronous ipsilateral cervical lymph node metastases, in absence of clinically evident lymph node metastases of the central compartment, performing pCCND does not improve the 5-year outcome in terms of structural disease, despite a greater number of 131I treatments. However, pCCND is severely affected by a higher percentage of permanent hypoparathyroidism, even in the hands of expert surgeons. IQR = interquartile range; pCCND = prophylactic central compartment lymph node dissection; PTC = papillary thyroid carcinoma; Tg = thyroglobulin; US = ultrasound.

Total thyroidectomy with therapeutic level II-IV neck dissection for papillary thyroid carcinoma: level VI recurrence patterns.

Lateral and central compartments cervical lymph nodes metastases are common among patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Elective level VI neck dissection during thyroidectomy and lateral neck dissection (LND) for the treatment of PTC with lateral compartment lymph node metastases is controversial because of the uncertain benefit in clinical outcomes and increased risks of surgical morbidity. We aimed to determine the potential benefit of elective level VI neck dissection in patients with cN1 papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) by investigating the rate and pattern of locoregional recurrence in PTC patients who underwent total thyroidectomy and therapeutic lateral node dissection (LND; levels II-IV) without elective level VI dissection. A retrospective cohort study. Data on demographics, clinical presentation and workup, intraoperative and pathological report, postoperative course, adjuvant therapy, recurrence patterns, and overall survival were retrieved from the medical charts of patients who underwent thyroid surgery in our hospital between January 2006 and December 2017. A total of 1415 thyroidectomies were performed during the study period, of which 802 (56.67%) were for PTC. Of those PTC patients, 228 (28.42%) also underwent LND (levels II-VI) during the same thyroidectomy procedure. Thirty-four (14.91%) of those 228 patients, underwent total thyroidectomy with therapeutic lateral ND II-IV without elective level VI ND. During the follow-up period, five (14.7%) of the latter cohort were diagnosed with recurrence in central neck (level VI) lymph nodes, and four of them (11.7%) were diagnosed with ipsilateral recurrence at level VI. Our results revealed 11.7% rate of clinically significant recurrent disease in ipsilateral level VI which, in our opinion, does not justify routine prophylactic level VI ND dissection when the ipsilateral lateral neck is operated for metastases.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Ultrasound for the Evaluation of Lateral Compartment Lymph Nodes in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma.

To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ultrasound (US) assessing the lateral compartment lymph node metastasis in patients with primary papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC), and to demonstrate the incidence and patterns of the lateral lymph node metastasis. We retrospectively reviewed 198 patients with primary PTC who underwent thyroidectomy in addition to modified lateral neck dissections (MLND) involving level II to level V due to clinically positive lateral neck disease. A skilled and experienced single operator performed all US examinations. Surgical pathology results were accepted as the reference method and sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of US in detecting metastatic lymph nodes established using level-by-level analysis. In the study cohort, 10.1% of the patients had lateral compartment lymph node metastases without any central compartment involvement. For the lateral compartment, 48.5% had level II, 74.7% had level III, 64.6% had level IV, and 29.3% of the patients had level V metastasis. None of the patients had isolated level V metastasis. The sensitivity, specificity, and diagnostic accuracy of US in identifying lateral lymph compartment metastasis ranged from 87% to 91.4%, 92% to 98.6% 92.4% to 96%, respectively. However, the sensitivity (74.7%) and diagnostic accuracy (76.2%) of US significantly decreased for the central compartment while specificity (90%) remained similar. US performed by a skilled operator has an excellent diagnostic accuracy for the evaluation of lateral cervical lymph nodes in primary PTC; thus, might enable precise tailoring of the management strategies. Moreover, the high incidence of level V involvement favors MLND over selective approaches.

Radiomics signature for prediction of lateral lymph node metastasis in conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma.

PurposePreoperative neck ultrasound (US) for lateral cervical lymph nodes is recommended for all patients undergoing thyroidectomy for thyroid malignancy, but it is operator dependent. We aimed to develop a radiomics signature using US images of the primary tumor to preoperatively predict lateral lymph node metastasis (LNM) in patients with conventional papillary thyroid carcinoma (cPTC).MethodsFour hundred consecutive cPTC patients from January 2004 to February 2006 were enrolled as the training cohort, and 368 consecutive cPTC patients from March 2006 to February 2007 served as the validation cohort. A radiomics signature, which consisted of 14 selected features, was generated by the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression model in the training cohort. The discriminating performance of the radiomics signature was assessed in the validation cohort with the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC).ResultsThe radiomics signature was significantly associated with lateral cervical lymph node status (p < 0.001). The AUC of its performance in discriminating metastatic and non-metastatic lateral cervical lymph nodes was 0.710 (95% CI: 0.649–0.770) in the training cohort and was 0.621 (95% CI: 0.560–0.682) in the validation cohort.ConclusionsThe present study showed that US radiomic features of the primary tumor were associated with lateral cervical lymph node status. Although their discriminatory performance was slightly lower in the validation cohort, our study shows that US radiomic features of the primary tumor alone have the potential to predict lateral LNM.

Modification of the Tumor-Node-Metastasis Staging System for Differentiated Thyroid Carcinoma by Considering Extra-Thyroidal Extension and Lateral Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis.

BackgroundConcerns have arisen about the classification of extra-thyroidal extension (ETE) and lateral cervical lymph node metastasis (N1b) in the 8th edition of the tumor-node-metastasis staging system (TNM-8). This study evaluated the prognostic validity of a modified-TNM staging system, focusing on ETE and N1b, in differentiated thyroid carcinoma (DTC) patients.MethodsThis multicenter retrospective cohort study included 4,878 DTC patients from five tertiary hospitals. In the modified-TNM, T3b in TNM-8 was down-staged to T2, and stage II was subdivided into stages IIA and IIB. Older patients with N1b were reclassified as stage IIB.ResultsThe modified-TNM resulted in staging migration in 540 patients (11%) classified as stage II according to the TNM-8, with 75 (14%), 381 (71%), and 84 patients (16%) classified as stages I, IIA, and IIB, respectively. The 10-year disease-specific survival (DSS) rates in patients classified as stages I, II, III, and IV by TNM-8 were 99.8%, 95.9%, 81.0%, and 41.6%, respectively. The DSS rates of patients classified as stages I, IIA, IIB, III, and IV according to the modified-TNM were 99.8%, 96.4%, 93.3%, 81.0%, and 41.6%, respectively. DSS curves between stages on TNM-8 (P<0.001) and modified-TNM (P<0.001) differed significantly, but the modified-TNM discriminated better than TNM-8. The proportions of variation explained values of TNM-8 and modified-TNM were 6.3% and 6.5%, respectively.ConclusionModification of the TNM staging system focusing on ETE and N1b could improve the prediction of DSS in patients with DTC. Further researches are needed to validate the prognostic accuracy of this modified-TNM staging system.

Thyroid Surgery in Children and Adolescents: A 10-year Retrospective Study at a Single Institution.

SUMMARYObjectiveThe aim of the study was to analyze clinical characteristics, surgical treatment, complications, and prognosis related to thyroid surgery in children and adolescents in a 10-year study at a single institution. Study Design. Retrospective study.MethodsWe performed a retrospective analysis of clinical data of children and adolescents who underwent thyroid surgery due to benign thyroid disease and thyroid cancer from January 2011 to May 2020. We presented the clinical characteristics and type of surgical treatment for different thyroid diseases. Results. We present data on surgical procedures and complication rates following surgery, which was comparable to other published data. We emphasize the importance of radioiodine and hormone replacement postoperative therapy in cancer patients and our opinion on total thyroidectomy and neck dissection in thyroid cancer surgery.ConclusionThis study demonstrated that thyroid surgery in children and adolescents is a safe and efficient procedure in the hands of experienced surgeon for adult thyroid surgery. For children and adolescents with thyroid carcinoma, our method of choice is total thyroidectomy with occasionally paratracheal neck dissection, whereas lateral cervical lymph node dissection is only necessary in fine needle aspiration positive lymph nodes. Our results according to postoperative outcomes and complications are comparable to other recently published data.

Diagnostic accuracy of single-source dual-energy computed tomography and ultrasonography for detection of lateral cervical lymph node metastases of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

Dual-energy computed tomography (DECT) imaging can generate iodine-based material decomposition (MD) images and spectral HU curve. This study aimed to investigate the diagnostic accuracy of single-source dual-energy CT (DECT) and ultrasonography (US) for detecting lateral cervical lymph node metastases of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Thirty patients with PTC were enrolled in the study and underwent DECT and US examination before thyroidectomy and cervical lymph node dissection. The spectral parameters included iodine concentration (IC), normalized iodine concentration (NIC) and slope (λHU) of lymph nodes. The CT morphological parameters included maximal short diameter, shape, margin, calcification and cystic degeneration of lymph nodes. The US morphological parameters included maximal short diameter, calcification and cystic degeneration of lymph nodes. The diagnostic value of every single spectral parameter, combined gemstone spectral image (GSI) parameters, CT morphological parameters and US morphological parameters between metastatic and non-metastatic lymph nodes were statistically compared. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, sensitivity, and specificity were used to determine the diagnostic value. Ninety-nine lymph nodes from thirty patients were pathologically confirmed. Among them, 70 (70.7%) were metastatic. For single GSI parameters, ROC analysis showed that the area under the curve (AUC) for IC was the highest (AUC =0.937) but the difference was not statistically significant when compared with NIC or slope (λHU) (P>0.05). The optimal diagnostic threshold for IC was 2.56 mg/mL, with a sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of 87.1%, 93.1%, and 88.9%, respectively. The AUC for combined GSI parameter (AUC =0.942) was higher compared with the US morphological parameters (AUC =0.771, P<0.001), with a sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 92.9%, 86.2%, and 90.9%, respectively. However AUC did not differ significantly among combined GSI parameters, combined CT morphological parameters and a single application for spectral CT parameters IC (P>0.05). Combined GSI parameters showed better diagnostic accuracy in lateral cervical lymph node metastasis of PTC compared with that of combined US morphological parameters. IC alone showed excellent diagnostic stability and could be performed easily.

Risk factors of predicting lateral neck lymph node metastasis following solitary papillary thyroid carcinoma

Objective To evaluate the risk factors in terms of clinical characteristics and sonographic features regarding solitairy thyroid papillary carcinoma (PTC) for the lateral cervical lymph node metastasis(LLNM) and then to establish nomogram model. Methods All patients were confirmed to be solitary PTC in paraffin wax pathology after thyroidectomy in Fudan University Shanghai Cancer Center from January to September 2016. Meanwhile, the status of lateral cervical lymph node metastasis was determined referring to postoperative pathology. Clinical characteristics including gender, age, preoperative thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), thyroglobulin (Tg), thyroglobulin antibody (TGAb), thyroid peroxidase antibody (TPOAb), central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) and sonographic features of the PTC lesion including maximum tumor diameter, location, aspect ratio, relation with thyroid capsule, echo, margin, acoustic halo, microcalcification were evaluated for the association with lateral cervical lymph node metastasis using univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses. Then the nomogram model was established and its application value was evaluated using ROC. Results Out of 1 174 patients, 125 patients (10.6%) presented lateral neck lymph node metastasis and 10 patients presented skipping metastasis.Univariate analysis showed gender, preoperative Tg and TGAb, CLNM, maximum tumor diameter, location, close to the thyroid tumor capsule, echo, aspect ratio, acoustic halo, microcalcification were associated with LLNM(P<0.05). Binomial logistic regression analysis indicated CLNM, maximum tumor diameter of larger than 10 mm, superior or multiple location, microcalcification were independent risk factors of LLNM. The AUC of the nomogram model was 0.865, the sensitivity was 88.0%, the specificity was 75.2%, and the accuracy was 76.6%. Conclusions As for patients with single focal PTC, CLNM, larger lesions, microcalcification, superior location are associated with lateral neck lymph node metastasis. The nomogram model can be tried for clinical application. Key words: Ultrasonography; Papillary thyroid carcinoma; Lymph node metastasis; Risk factors; Nomogram

Right Central Lymph Node Dissection in Thyroidectomy: Can Endoscopic Chest-Breast Approach Be Used?

Background: The purpose of this research was to investigate the feasibility and strategies of right central lymph node dissection (CLND) in endoscopic thyroidectomy through chest-breast approach. Materials and Methods: Retrospective analysis on the conduction of 68 cases of endoscopic thyroidectomy through chest-breast approach with right side CLND (endoscopic group) and 31 cases of thyroidectomy through low-neck collar cervical approach with right side CLND (open group) from July 2014 to February 2019. The intraoperative and postoperative data were compared between the two groups. Results: All the surgeries in open group were successfully completed as well as the endoscopic group without any intraoperative conversion into open surgery. There were no difference in sizes of tumor, incidence of lymph node metastasis, number of dissected and metastatic lymph nodes, and postoperative hospitalization days between the two groups. Temporal hypoparathyroidism occurred in both groups with endoscopic group to be 24 cases and open group to be 15 cases but no case in both groups suffering from permanent hypoparathyroidism, recurrent laryngeal nerve injury, lymphatic leakage, or death. One case in endoscopic group was treated with secondary surgery for lateral cervical lymph node metastasis and no evidence of recurrence or metastasis was found in other cases during postoperative follow-up. Conclusions: With strict control in surgical indications and contraindications, endoscopic surgery is safe and feasible for selected cases with the same effect as open surgery on dissection of lymph nodes in the right central region, which is in line with the principle of radical treatment of tumors.

RET Proto-oncogene Gene Mutation Is Related to Cervical Lymph Node Metastasis in Medullary Thyroid Carcinoma.

RET proto-oncogene (RET) mutations were proved to be related to the development of medullary thyroid carcinoma (MTC). We aimed to analyze the role of RET mutations in cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with MTC. Forty-nine patients with preoperatively diagnosed MTC by fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) who underwent bilateral total thyroidectomy with cervical lymphadenectomy were included. Postoperative RET gene test and pathological analysis were performed with the surgical specimens; serum calcitonin (Ctn) and carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) levels were tested pre- and postoperatively, to evaluate the association between RET mutations and cervical lymph node metastasis in MTC. In these 49 patients, the RET mutation rates of Exon 11, Exon 10, Exon 11&13, Exon 13, and Exon 16 were 20.4%, 4.1%, 38.8%, 22.4%, and 0%, respectively. The lymph node metastasis rates of patients with RET mutation in the central and lateral compartments were 71.4% and 64.3%, respectively, versus 28.6% and 14.3% of patients without RET mutation. The preoperative basal serum levels of Ctn (234.8 ± 188.4 vs. 44.4 ± 27.5, p< 0.01) and postoperative Ctn (49.8 ± 86.4 vs. 3.7 ± 2.2, p= 0.001) in MTC patients with RET mutations were significantly higher than those in MTC patients without RET mutation. In addition, the preoperative (50.2 ± 76.7 vs. 7.4 ± 6.8, p= 0.001) and postoperative serum levels of CEA (13.2 ± 19.5 vs. 1.3 ± 1.6, p< 0.01) in MTC patients with RET mutations were significantly higher than those in MTC patients without RET mutation (p< 0.05). RET mutation was related to cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with MTC, especially the mutation in Exon 11&13. Patients with RET mutation in Exon 11&13 might be regarded as the predictor for prophylactic ipsilateral total cervical lymphadenectomy even without clear evidence of lateral cervical lymph node metastasis.

Right posterior paratracheal lymph nodes metastasis is one of the predictive factors in right-sided papillary thyroid carcinoma

BackgroundLymph nodes in the right paratracheal region are separated as anterior and posterior on the basis with right recurrent laryngeal nerve. Dissection of the right posterior paratracheal lymph nodes is sometimes overlooked during a central neck dissection. Therefore, this study was designed to assess the clinicopathologic risk factors and prognostic implication for recurrence related to the presence of right posterior paratracheal lymph nodes metastasis in patient with right-sided papillary thyroid carcinoma. MethodsRecords from 763 patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma who underwent total thyroidectomy with central neck dissection, including the right posterior paratracheal lymph nodes, between January 2007 and March 2015 were reviewed retrospectively. ResultsAmong 763 patients (120 men and 643 women; mean age 49.04 years) with right-sided papillary thyroid carcinoma, 127 exhibited right posterior paratracheal lymph nodes metastases. In multivariate analysis, central-compartment lymph nodes metastases (odds ratio 5.203; 95% confidence interval, 2.864–9.453) and lateral cervical lymph nodes metastases (odds ratio 3.668; 95% confidence interval, 2.375–5.667) were independently correlated with right posterior paratracheal lymph nodes metastases. Twenty-three patients (3.0%) showed loco-regional recurrence. The loco-regional recurrence rate was greater in the groups for males (P = .012), larger tumor size (>10 mm; P = .044), extrathyroidal extention (P = .002), and right posterior paratracheal lymph nodes metastasis (P < .001). ConclusionRight posterior paratracheal lymph nodes metastases are predictive factors of loco-regional recurrence, and these lymph nodes should be removed completely during a right central neck dissection in patients with right-sided papillary thyroid carcinoma with central or lateral cervical lymph node metastasis.

BRAFV600E/telomerase reverse transcriptase protein expression in lung metastasis of papillary thyroid carcinoma and clinical significance

Objective To investigate the protein expression of BRAFV600E/telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) and its correlation with lung metastasis. Methods The tumor tissues of 716 patients with PTC were collected. The expression of BRAFV600E and TERT was detected by immunohistochemistry, and their clinical pathological features were analyzed. Results In tumor tissues of these PTC patients, 62.3% (446/716) expressed BRAFV600E protein, 30.9% (221/716) expressed TERT protein, and 18% (129/716) co-expressed BRAFV600E and TERT proteins. Multivariate analysis revealed that special subtype of papillary carcinoma, maximal diameter of tumor, lateral cervical lymph node metastasis, and co-expression of BRAFV600E/TERT proteins were independent risk factors of PTC lung metastasis. Tumor maximum diameter, lateral cervical lymph node metastasis and co-expression of BRAFV600E/TERT proteins had a high diagnostic accuracy [area under curve (AUC)>0.7] in predicting lung metastasis in PTC patients. Conclusion The specific subtype of papillary carcinoma, tumor maximum diameter, lateral cervical lymph node metastasis and co-expression of BRAFV600E/TERT proteins were independent risk factors for PTC pulmonary metastasis. Key words: Papillary thyroid carcinoma; Lung metastasis; BRAFV600E; Telomerase reverse transcriptase