Improved survival of patients with papillary thyroid cancer after surgical microdissection.

• A total of 195 patients had surgery for papillary thyroid cancer. The mean age at operation was 50 years. A microdissection technique was used for total thyroidectomy and lymph node clearance. Postoperative radioiodine tests showed no uptake or an uptake close to the background activity in 77% of the examined patients. By counting the lymph nodes removed at surgery we were able to check on the quality of the lymph node dissection. Men had a higher incidence (70%) of lymph node metastases than women (45%). Only 4% of the patients had radioiodine ablation of the thyroid remnant. The median follow-up time was 13 years. None of the patients below 45 years of age at surgery died of thyroid cancer. In the older age group eight patients died of thyroid cancer at a mean age of 75 years. Five of those who died of a thyroid carcinoma had distant metastases at diagnosis. Among patients with resectable disease, three (1.6%) died of thyroid cancer, all of whom had lived for more than 17 years after surgery. Hence longer follow-up is needed before we know the final mortality in our series. The results suggest that surgical technique and strategy can positively influence the survival of patients with papillary thyroid cancer.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Kirurgi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Surgery (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Adolescent

Adult

Age Factors

Aged

Aged

80 and over

Carcinoma

Papillary

secondary

surgery

Cause of Death

Child

Disease-Free Survival

Dissection

Female

Follow-Up Studies

Humans

Iodine Radioisotopes

therapeutic use

Lymph Node Excision

Lymphatic Metastasis

Male

Microsurgery

Middle Aged

Neoplasm Staging

Postoperative Care

Sex Factors

Survival Rate

Thyroid Neoplasms

surgery

Thyroidectomy

methods

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