Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 18, 2026
Computer-Aided Three-Dimensional Visualization in the Treatment of Locally Advanced Thyroid Cancer
Published on: June 9, 2023
Prognostic factors determining survival in patients with node positive differentiated thyroid cancer: a retrospective
M A Gulcelik1, Y Ozdemir, M Kadri Colakoglu
1Department of Surgery, Ankara Oncology Hospital, Ankara, Turkey. mgulcelik@yahoo.com
Objective:
The prognostic factors for the disease-free status and overall survival among patients who had differentiated thyroid cancer with cervical lymph node metastasis were evaluated to develop a better understanding of the possible effects of lymph node metastasis on the disease process.
Design:
The data from 101 patients who underwent modified radical neck dissection to determine the presence of cervical node positive differentiated thyroid cancer was evaluated and disease-free survival and overall survival rates were calculated. Prognostic factors predicting these survival rates were evaluated.
Setting:
This research took place between July of 1994 and December of 2006 in the Department of General Surgery at Ankara Oncology Training and Research Hospital.
Participants:
One hundred and one patients underwent a modified radical neck dissection after the cervical nodes were assessed as positive for the presence of cancer.
Main Outcome Measures:
Ten-year disease-free survival and overall survival rates were measured.
Results:
We calculated the 10-year disease-free survival rate at 67.3% and the overall survival rate at 86.1%. Age, thyroidal extracapsular invasion, vascular invasion, metastasis, age, completeness of resection, size score and TNM staging were found to be relevant to disease-free survival and overall survival in both the univariate and the multivariate analyses. While the age, metastasis, extent of disease score was relevant to disease-free survival and overall survival in the univariate analysis, this association is not found in the multivariate analysis. The histological type of the tumour was not predictive of disease-free survival, but the follicular type was closely related to the prognosis for overall survival.
Conclusion:
Cervical node metastasis in thyroid carcinoma slightly reduces overall survival. Prognostic factors can help identify high-risk patients and point towards an adequate therapeutic approach.
