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Updated: May 10, 2026
Intraoperative Assessment of Resection Margins in Oral Cavity Cancer: This is the Way
Published on: May 10, 2021
Resection margins and prognosis in locally invasive thyroid cancer
Dana M Hartl1, Sophie Zago, Sophie Leboulleux
1Department of Head and Neck Oncology-Head and Neck Surgery, Institut Gustave Roussy and University of Paris-Sud, France.
Background:
Invasive thyroid cancer is rare, and the extent of surgery controversial. The purpose of this study was to present and evaluate therapeutic prognostic factors.
Methods:
We conducted a retrospective single-center study of differentiated thyroid carcinoma invading the larynx, trachea, and/or esophagus treated surgically with macroscopic complete resection.
Results:
Forty-six patients (average age, 57 years; average follow-up, 4 years) were included. Free margins (R0) were obtained for 22 of 46 (49%) and microscopic residual tumor was present after surgery (R1) for 24 (51%). Ten-year actuarial local control was 100% for R0 and 75% for R1 (p = .08). Five-year local control was lower for recurrent tumors versus inaugurally invasive disease (63% vs 87%; log-rank p = .011). Five-year and 10-year actuarial disease-specific survival (DSS) was correlated with preoperative distant metastases (100% and 87%, respectively, for M0 vs 68% and 34% for M1; p = .01).
Conclusion:
A trend toward lower local control was observed for R1 versus R0. The morbidity of surgery should be weighed against the prognosis if metastases are present.
