A Meta-analysis Of The Significant Differences Between The Multifocal Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas And Unifocal Papillary Thyroid Carcinomas

Objective:To evaluate the discrepancies of the clinicacopathological characteristics between the multifocal papillary thyroid carcinomas and unifocal papillary thyroid carcinomas.Methods:Relevant studies were identified using PubMed,Embase,The Cochrane Library,Web of Science,CNKI,CBM,and the Wanfang Database,Using of the search languages are Chinese and English,and all the studies reporting the multifocal papillary thyroid carcinomas up to December 31,2017.We used the keyword combining with the following free-text terms in searching,and two researchers independently screened the retrieved studies according to the inclusion criteriadrawed up by.us.Odds ratio(odds,OR)was used to evaluate the age,sex,extra-glandular invasion,lymph nodes metastasis,clinical stage of tumor,the recurrence,Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and distant metastasis of the discrepancies between the multifocal papillary thyroid carcinomas and theunifocal thyroid papillary thyroid carcinomas.In addition,the relationship between theextra-glandular invasion,the numbers of foci and the extra-glandular invasion of the multifocal papillary thyroid carcinoma and the lymph nodes metastasis.Results:Twenty four studies were included in our meta-analysiswith 7,454 cases of multifocal thyroid cancer,published from 2009 to 2017,.The results of the meta analysis showed that there were significant differences in five aspects between the multifocal papillary thyroid carcinomas and unifocal papillary thyroid carcinomas,such as age(OR = 1.22,;95%CI:1.01-1.47,P=0.037),extragonadal invasion(OR=1.719;95%CI:1.443-2.047,P=0.000),lymph nodes metastasis(OR=1.903;95%CI:1.684-2.150,P=0.000),clinical stage of tumor(OR=1.71;95 % CI : 1.49-1.96,P=0.000),postoperative recurrence(OR=1.689;95%CI:1.316-2.168,P=0.000);2)Multifocal papillary thyroid carcinomas and unifocal thyroid papillary carcinomas in patients had no difference in gender and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.Conclusion:1)There are differences between multifocal PTC and unifocal PTC in the age,extragonary gland invasion,lymph nodes metastasis,postoperative recurrence,clinical stage of tumor and the distant metastasis.2)there is no difference between mutifocal PTC and unifocal PTC in patients in gender and Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.