Ann Surg Treat Res.  2017 Mar;92(3):129-135. 10.4174/astr.2017.92.3.129.

Is familial papillary thyroid microcarcinoma more aggressive than sporadic form?

• Lee CR
• Park S
• Kang SW
• Lee J
• Jeong JJ
• Nam KH
• Chung WY
• Park CS

• KMID: 2377554
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4174/astr.2017.92.3.129

Abstract

PURPOSE
With the increasing incidence of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC), familial papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (FPTMC) is now recognized more frequently. However, the biological behavior of FPTMC is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of FPTMC and its biological aggressiveness.
METHODS
Between March 2006 and July 2010, 2,414 patients underwent primary surgical therapy for PTMC and 149 (6.2%) were further classified as FPTMC. To determine the biological aggressiveness of FPTMC, we compared the clinicopathological features and prognosis between FPTMC and sporadic PTMC (SPTMC).
RESULTS
The male-to-female ratio was higher in FPTMC than in sporadic papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (SPTMC: 1:4.5 vs. 1:7.2, P = 0.041). The central lymph node (LN) metastasis rate was significantly higher in FPTMC than in SPTMC (36.2% vs. 24.2%, P = 0.002). The local recurrence rate was also higher in FPTMC than in SPTMC (4.5% vs. 0.6%, P < 0.001). We identified familial occurrence in 6.2% of cases of PTMC. FPTMC is associated with a high rate of central LN metastasis and local recurrence.
CONCLUSION
These findings suggest that close follow-up can be beneficial in FPTMC patients to detect local recurrence.

Keyword

Family; Papillary thyroid microcarcinoma; Aggression; Prognosis; Prevalence

MeSH Terms

Aggression
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
Incidence
Lymph Nodes
Neoplasm Metastasis
Prevalence
Prognosis
Recurrence
Thyroid Gland*

Figure

• 

  Fig. 1 Kaplan-Meier curve for recurrence free survival of familial (FPTMC) and sporadic papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (SPTMC).

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