Long-term Outcomes of cN0 Papillary Thyroid Carcinoma without Elective Central Compartment Neck Dissection

Objective To determine the long-term outcomes of cN0 papillary thyroid carcinoma without elective central compartment neck dissection. Methods The clinical data of 180 patients with clinically lymph node negative papillary thyroid carcinoma who were treated in our center between 2000 and 2005 were retrospectively analyzed. All of these patients did not receive elective central compartment neck dissection. Clinicopathological characteristics including gender,age,surgical range,pathologic type,tumor size,and extrathyroidal extension(ETE)or not were collected. Results After a median follow-up period of 90 months,only one patient died of stroke without tumor. Sixteen patients had tumor recurrence:seven patients had a recurrent disease in residual thyroid tissue,two in the thyroid bed,six in central compartment,eight in lateral cervical compartment,and one in lung. The 10-year overall survival,disease-specific survival,and recurrence-free survival was 99.4%,100%,and 87.9%,respectively. The 10-year accumulative lymph node recurrence rate in central compartment and lateral compartment was 7.8% and 7.0%,respectively. ETE was an independent risk factor for central compartment lymph node recurrence. Male gender(P=0.010)and ETE(P=0.028)were independent risk factors for lateral compartment lymph node recurrence. Conclusions The prognosis of patients with cN0 papillary thyroid carcinoma without elective central compartment neck dissection is good after ten years of follow-up. Male gender and ETE are independent risk factors for lateral compartment lymph node recurrence.