Clinicopathological Features And Postoperative Recurrence Factors Of Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma

Objective:To explore the clinicopathological features of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma(PTMC)and the risk factors affecting postoperative recurrence of PTMC.Methods:The 15 years' clinicopathological data of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma treated in the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University from 1997 to 2011 were collected and retrospectively analyzed.Patients who had complete contact information were followed up by telephone and letters to obtain the information about recurrence and death.Factors such as age,gender,tumor diameter,single or bilateral,multifocal tumor,lymph node metastasis,central or lateral cervical lymph node metastasis,extrathyroidal extension and the AJCC staging system were analyzed to explore the risk factors affecting postoperative recurrence of PTMC.Results:The operative volume of PTMC in our hospital increased significantly in recent years,and its proportion in papillary thyroid carcinoma in the same period also increased.From 1997 to 2011,1512 patients with PTMC were admitted to our hospital,and 1008 patients were followed up.Among them,42 patients had recurrence,respectively in residual thyroid(17 patients),cervical lymph node(24 patients),and distant metastasis(1 patient).Four patients died but the specific mortality of thyroid cancer was zero.COX multivariate analysis showed that age<45,lymph node metastasis,and lateral cervical lymph node metastasis are the independent risk factors affecting postoperative recurrence of PTMC.Conclusions:1.The 15 years' operative volume of PTMC in our hospital increased significantly,and its proportion in papillary thyroid carcinoma in the same period also increased.2.More than 90%of PTMC were in the early stage(stage ?),the 1-,2-,5-and 10-year disease free survival(DFS)rate were 98.3%,97.8%,95.9%and 95.8%,respectively.3.Age<45,lymph node metastasis,and lateral cervical lymph node metastasis are the independent risk factors affecting postoperative recurrence of PTMC.