OBJECTIVE: To ascertain whether modified radical neck dissection offers a survival advantage for some subsets of patients with papillary cancer of the thyroid. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study of 2966 patients curatively treated at the Noguchi Thyroid Clinic and Hospital Foundation, Oita, Japan, between 1946 and 1991. SETTING: A center for the treatment of thyroid disease, where about 1400 thyroid operations are performed per year. PATIENTS: Between 1946 and 1991, patients with papillary cancer whose primary tumor was 1 cm or larger and who were curatively treated were studied. Of the 2859 patients, 72.1% underwent modified radical neck dissection, 8.5% underwent partial node excision, and 19.4% underwent no node excision. RESULTS: A univariate analysis revealed a subset of patients who benefited from modified radical neck dissection. A multivariate analysis revealed that sex (P<.001), age at the time of the operation (P<.001), size of the primary tumor (P<.001), extrathyroidal invasion (P<.001), and the presence of nodal metastasis (P<.01) are significant risk factors. CONCLUSION: Patients with nodal metastasis, patients in whom the primary tumor invades beyond the thyroid capsule, and women older than 60 years can benefit from modified radical neck dissection.
OBJECTIVE: To ascertain whether modified radical neck dissection offers a survival advantage for some subsets of patients with papillary cancer of the thyroid. DESIGN: A retrospective cohort study of 2966 patients curatively treated at the Noguchi Thyroid Clinic and Hospital Foundation, Oita, Japan, between 1946 and 1991. SETTING: A center for the treatment of thyroid disease, where about 1400 thyroid operations are performed per year. PATIENTS: Between 1946 and 1991, patients with papillary cancer whose primary tumor was 1 cm or larger and who were curatively treated were studied. Of the 2859 patients, 72.1% underwent modified radical neck dissection, 8.5% underwent partial node excision, and 19.4% underwent no node excision. RESULTS: A univariate analysis revealed a subset of patients who benefited from modified radical neck dissection. A multivariate analysis revealed that sex (P<.001), age at the time of the operation (P<.001), size of the primary tumor (P<.001), extrathyroidal invasion (P<.001), and the presence of nodal metastasis (P<.01) are significant risk factors. CONCLUSION:Patients with nodal metastasis, patients in whom the primary tumor invades beyond the thyroid capsule, and women older than 60 years can benefit from modified radical neck dissection.
Authors: Antonio Toniato; Isabella Merante Boschin; Andrea Piotto; Maria Rosa Pelizzo; Annamaria Guolo; Mirto Foletto; Eric Casalide Journal: World J Surg Date: 2008-04 Impact factor: 3.352