Modified neck dissection in the treatment of differentiated thyroid carcinoma.

The prognosis of differentiated carcinoma of the thyroid has been reported to be extremely favourable. Previous studies have concluded that lymph node metastasis do not affect survival rates in patients with differentiated thyroid carcinoma. Therefore, nodal metastasis has not been evaluated as a prognostic factor in recent definitions of risk groups. To determine the significance of nodal disease, we reviewed 219 consecutive patients with differentiated thyroid cancer (191 papillary, 14 follicular and 14 Hurtle cell carcinomas). Fifty-five patients were treated with modified neck dissection and all of them received adjuvant radioiodine. There were recurrences in 25 patients (11.4%), with follow-up ranging from 6 months to 14 years. Systemic disease occurred synchronously in two patients, and four patients died of thyroid carcinoma.