[Treatment of microcarcinoma and papillary carcinoma of the thyroid]

Of our is to demonstrate that total thyroidectomy with lymphadenectomy of the six level is effective in papillary thyroid carcinomas than for microcarcinoma, according to recent acquisitions on the biological behavior of some microcarcinoma.

Ours is a retrospective study based on analysis of the process of therapy in 2849 patients undergoing total thyroidectomy, performed from January 1985 to January 2008 by our group at the U.O. Clinica Chirurgica Ospedale "Vittorio Emanuele" of Catania, Italy.

Of all the interventions of total thyroidectomy, 75% performed for benign disease and 25% for malignant disease (PTMC 356 cases, 291 PTC cases, 56 cases of follicular carcinoma, 5 cases of medullary carcinoma, anaplastic carcinoma, 2 cases). 40% of PTMC underwent TT and subsequent follow up, because the diagnosis was placed postoperatively and in 60% diagnosis was placed during surgery with indication for TT and lymphadenectomy of the sixth level and subsequent follow-up showed no evidence of residual disease or relapse. PTC of 40% underwent a TT with lymphadenectomy of the sixth level. 60% of patients with PTC underwent a TT with lymphadenectomy of the sixth level and lateral cervical lymphadenectomy was performed only in 3 cases with a TT level VI lymphadenectomy of the bilateral lateral cervical lymphadenectomy. All patients in the follow-up post-operatively does not show in the following years, signs of residual disease or relapse.

From the results we can confirm that a total thyroidectomy with lymphadenectomy of the sixth level, the more lateral lymphadenectomy of the neck when needed, ensures a good prognosis and few complications, if ever performed in expert hands. This applies to papillary carcinomas than for microcarcinoma whose surgical treatment (total thyroidectomy, lobectomy, subtotal thyroidectomy or near-total) is still debated.