Imaging Science and Photochemistry ›› 2020, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (6): 1032-1037.DOI: 10.7517/issn.1674-0475.200409

• Review and Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Risk Factors Related to Central Lymph Node Metastasis in Papillary Thyroid Microcarcinoma

TAN Xueli1, LIU Shichu1, ZHONG Xiaoling1, LIU Rongbin2   

  1. 1. Pingshan District People's Hospital, Shenzhen 518118, Guangdong, P. R. China;
    2. Sun Yat-Sen Memorial Hospital, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou 510120, Guangdong, P. R. China
  • Received:2020-04-17 Online:2020-11-15 Published:2020-11-15

Abstract: The incidence of papillary thyroid microcarcinoma (PTMC) is increasing year by year. Central lymph node metastasis (CLNM) is one of the important prognostic factors for the patients of PTMC. A retrospective study was performed on 198 patients with cN0 PTMC (tumor diameter ≤ 10 mm). Basic data (e.g., gender, age, tumor location, tumor diameter) of eligible patients were extracted, as well as the pathology, ultrasound, fine-needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) results and BRAFV600E mutation analysis. The results of univariate analysis indicated that age <45 years, male, punctate echogenic foci on sonography, tumor size ≥ 5 mm, and ACR TI-RADS scores ≥ 8 were related to predict CLNM in PTMC patients. The results of multivariate analysis indicated that tumor size ≥ 5 mm, punctate echogenic foci on sonography, and ACR TI-RADS scores ≥ 8 were independent risk factors for CLNM. Moreover, larger tumor volume and higher TI-RADS scores were associated with greater risk of CLNM in cN0 PTMC patients, whom clinicians should take a more radical treatment strategy for.

Key words: papillary thyroid microcarcinoma, central lymph mode metastasis, microcalcification, tumor size, TI-RADS score