Pattern of Cervical Neck Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma according to Tumor Size

Kim, Gun; Kang, Hyun Jong; Park, Kyoung Sik; Paik, Nam Sun; Yoo, Young Bum

Abstract

PURPOSE
Prognosis of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) is very favorable, but PTC frequently invade adjacent soft tissue and metastases to cervical lymph node. We evaluated the pattern of cervical neck lymph node metastasis in PTC according to tumor size.
METHODS
From August 2005 to January 2009, 353 patients were underwent surgery for PTC. Among these patients, total thyroidectomy with cervical neck lymph node dissection were done in 266 patients. We subdivided patients into four groups according to size and compared the clinicopathologic characters between groups. And we confirmed the factors affecting central neck node metastasis.
RESULTS
The mean age of patients of diagnosis was 49.1 years and female to male ratio was 5.8:1. Cervical lymph node metastasis were in 47.0% of the total cases. Cervical lymph node metastases and invasion to adjacent structure increased with tumor size. But, there were no significant differences in tumor size, invasion to adjacent structure, multifocality or bilaterality according to cervical lymph node metastasis. Early diagnostic age and sexuality were significantly related to cervical lymph node metastasis of PTC.
CONCLUSION
PTC showed the aggressiveness with increasing tumor size. Tumor size was not related to cervical lymph node metastasis. These findings suggest that tumor size can help treat PTC, can`t be used by prediction factor of cervical lymph node metastasis.